Frozen Powers II (and a half)
by Aeluna
Summary: [AnnaxKristoff] [ElsaxOC] [HansxOC] Mainly following the events of Anna's second pregnancy, a collection of events set inbetween the end of "Frozen Powers II - Sweet Vengeance" and the start of "Frozen Powers III - For the Sunrise" [Sequel published] [Series Complete]
1. Chapter 1 - dedicated to anniGirl93

**Okay, this story is just going to be a short which will be set in between Frozen Powers II and III, and I'm aiming to get it completed within a month or two. It will probably be around eight or nine chapters long, and it will be based around Anna's second pregnancy, but with other scenes too :) (I'm sure most of you guessed this was coming a few chapters back in the second book, most of my reviews seemed to suggest that you figured it out!). It will also give you guys a bit of an insight into what has happened in between this book and the next, which will be set quite a bit later (well, a few years - oops, spoiler, teehee)**

**Well, there's no time to waste; I hope you enjoy this little story!**

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><p><em>February 22nd<em>

Anna groaned quietly as she lay in bed, staring up at the canopy above her. To her left, she could hear Kristoff's steady breathing, a soothing and rhythmic sound, and she could feel him shifting his arm slightly so that his finger-tips were just touching her side. She felt her heart rate increase slightly at the contact, and quickly turned away before she got too excited.

After a few minutes of staring at the wall, willing her body to just drift off into sleep - she'd realised long before that closing her eyes would account to nothing, - she sighed in irritation and stood up, walking over to the door and slowly pushing it open, her body shivering in complaint as the wave of cold air outside her room blasted her in the face. She cringed slightly and quickly retreated back into the chamber, locating her dressing gown and wrapping it tightly around her body as she braved the harsher, less merciful temperature in the corridor.

Heading down to the kitchens, she stood there, trembling coldly as she desperately made herself a hot drink - for once, she opted for a coffee, rather than her usual hot chocolate order, although she couldn't quite pin point what it was about the extra caffeine that appealed to her. She wasn't tired - she just had a craving for the stronger flavoured drink.

Thanking a young guard who had helped her (after she poured hot water over her hand from her lack of concentration) in a somewhat snappish tone - lack of sleep never helped one's mood, she would later reason, claiming that it was not her fault that she responded to him so ungratefully - she made her way to the library. She had nothing better to do at such a ridiculous hour in the morning, and she figured that if she could find a book, maybe an hour of reading or so would finally convince her body that it shouldn't be awake yet.

Scanning the book shelves, one book stood out from the rest - a newer looking novel, named 'Oliver Twist' which Anna was sure she'd never read before, but she knew she'd heard of it. As far as she could remember, some of the critical reviews of it were very strong; she felt herself grow intrigued as to what made the new story so good, and as she slouched into the arm chair, after lighting the fire to fight away the chilly air, she began reading at once.

The start, she found - to her dismay - was a little slow, and she struggled through the first few pages as she learned to adapt to Dickens' style, especially his annoying habit of writing a whole paragraph in one single sentence. After a little while, though, as she forced herself to keep reading, to give the book a chance, she _did_ find herself getting into it a little more, and it wasn't such a chore to carry on by the end of the third chapter.

Sinking back into the chair a bit as her body began to ache, each of her limbs feeling heavy from a fatigue that her mind seemed unwilling to allow any respite from, she propped up her legs on a pouffe and let the words flow through her mind as she read them silently, the peaceful quietness soothing her pains slightly. She allowed her heavy eyelids to shut as she slumped a little more, not really caring whether anyone found her asleep here rather than in her room, but, alas, fate was still in an unforgiving mood; her eyes jumped open with a start when she shot up, as the grandfather clock struck the hour, chiming too loudly to allow any relaxation, and she groaned.

As she had begun to drift off to sleep, the book had fallen from her grasp, and as she reached down to get it, a small disturbance came out of the corner of her eye and she quickly snapped her head back up in surprise. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim light out in the corridor, where a small figure was stood in the doorway, still, silent. The child's bright, platinum blonde hair seemed to reflect the weak moonlight, making her appear to be glowing in contrast with her bleak surroundings; Anna couldn't help but smile at her daughter, who was staring at her with large, shining eyes, filled with both fear, and a slight, almost unnoticeable sliver of hope.

Desperation, even - there was no denying how much Mia wanted to trust her mother. She craved the woman's attention, but she couldn't trust herself enough to get close enough to be given it.

"Mia?" Anna's voice was soft as it floated over to the young girl, who stood in the doorway like a deer in the headlights, looking as if she was fighting against what she was being told by her heart, and by her head. She didn't move, and the older Princess decided to see how much she could push her luck, as she continued. "What are you doing up, Sweetie?" She prompted, but Mia only mumbled incoherently, and Anna understood - from experience - that she couldn't push her any more. If she couldn't form a legible sentence, then it meant that question time was over.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, and then Mia let out a little breath that she'd been holding, as she began to turn away, and Anna felt her heart break as she watched her daughter begin to retreat into the dark corridors. She didn't move for a second, and then she suddenly she lost her control, as she blurted out: "Do you want me to read you a story?" in a loud voice, filled with pleading.

Mia looked startled and she scampered backwards at her mother's outburst, shocked originally, and whimpered, loudly enough for both too hear; Anna's eyes filled with tears when she realised her mistake, and before she knew it, she began to sob.

Her own daughter didn't trust her at all, and it was too overwhelming for her to accept right now.

She shook her head in dismay as she buried her face in her hands - how had she allowed this to happen? How could she have let her own daughter be kidnapped? She should have fought harder to keep her safe, and look how things had turned out as a result of her negligence?

Deep down, she knew there had been nothing that she could do - she had been restrained herself, after all - but she couldn't help feeling guilty. There was also a bitterness in her chest which only fueled her tears, a jealousy of her sister and brother-in-law, with whom Mia seemed to trust, at least a little. Why had she let Elsa go to rescue the girl? She was _her_ daughter, not her sister's daughter - and she should have been her responsibility!

She groaned, but sat up a little straighter, knowing there was nothing she could do now anyway. Mia might have trusted her more if she had been the one to rescue her, but alas - what was done was done, and she couldn't change it now.

Opening her eyes sadly, she noticed a scuffling sound behind her, and she turned around to look, although not really interested at whatever - or whoever - was making the noise at present. Her mind was overwhelmed with her sorrows, but as she glanced behind her, she was surprised to see Mia standing behind her, looking wary, with a small book in her hands.

Tentatively, she stepped forward and placed the work - a collection of short stories about a little cat named 'Puss' - on the arm of the chair, and then scurried backwards quickly, putting a distance five metres between herself and her mother, and then she sat down on the floor. She fidgeted nervously, looking everywhere but at her mother, and yet Anna was thrilled; maybe there was a little hope for their relationship after all.

Picking up the book, she began to read slowly, quietly, in a soft tone which would not worry Mia any more than she already was, and after a few minutes, the child began to calm down a little; when Anna looked up for a few moments, stealing a glance at her daughter, she smiled as she saw the girl's head slowly dropping, as if she was beginning to fall asleep. Her face broke into a grin as she continued to read, and when she finished the first short story, she noticed that Mia had fallen fast asleep on the floor.

Placing the book down, she stood up and walked over to the child, scooping her up gently, wincing as if she thought the gesture would wake the child, but she was in a truly deep slumber, and only murmured.

_The poor thing must have been exhausted_, Anna thought, although she couldn't understand why Mia had been awake at such a horrid hour anyway. Still, she smiled as she made her way down to her daughter's room, placing her on the bed and tucking her in; as she turned around quietly and began to leave the room, she stole one last look back, savouring the opportunity to look at the girl, without scaring her off, and then she left reluctantly.

As she curled up in her chair in the library again, feeling a little less tired now that she'd had some coffee (caffeine was a wondrous, wondrous drug) she picked up her book again and settled down to read. Ignoring the slight waves - no, ripples - of nausea that were accompanied by a swimming headache when she sat down too fast, she managed to read a few chapters before she finally did doze off, and she was found by her husband in the exact same chair later on in the day, when he awoke.

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><p><strong>Okay, this is the first chapter of book 2.5 - I hope you liked it! These chapters will probably be more 'slice of life' than action, so I've given you fair warning if you don't like that. <strong>

**But I hope you do...**

**Anyway, last chapter's positive feedback astounded me - thank you to everyone who reviewed, whether you were a new or returning reviewer. Please keep you comments coming for these following chapters; you need only write a few words, even ten seconds could probably cut it!**

**As for a challenge, what do you want to see in these more relaxed chapters, and I'll try to include some of them! **

**Also, if anyone would be willing to make some cover art for these stories (any of them) I'd be so grateful! :D**

**Anyway, I'm tired now - it's half midnight, whoops - so I'm off. See you next chapter!**

**-SG**


	2. Chapter 2 - dedicated to blackkngth

**The poor thing must have been exhausted**_**, Anna thought, although she couldn't understand why Mia had been awake at such a horrid hour anyway. Still, she smiled as she made her way down to her daughter's room, placing her on the bed and tucking her in; as she turned around quietly and began to leave the room, she stole one last look back, savouring the opportunity to look at the girl, without scaring her off, and then she left reluctantly.**_

_**As she curled up in her chair in the library again, feeling a little less tired now that she'd had some coffee (caffeine was a wondrous, wondrous drug) she picked up her book again and settled down to read. Ignoring the slight waves - no, ripples - of nausea that were accompanied by a swimming headache when she sat down too fast, she managed to read a few chapters before she finally did doze off, and she was found by her husband in the exact same chair later on in the day, when he awoke.**_

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><p><em>March 15th<br>_

Anna frowned as she stared at her stomach, turning so that she could assess the new curve that seemed to have appeared on her body. She ran her hand over her dress, flattening it down against her skin, and she stared at the slight bump which could now be identified; when she heard a knock the door as her husband walked in, she quickly let go of her gown and spun around, fiddling with her plait which made it look as if she'd been fixing her hair.

"Evening," Kristoff greeted, as he slumped down on the bed, looking exhausted, and Anna smiled nervously at him as he began to kick off his heavy work boots. "How's your day been, hmm?" He prompted, and Anna shrugged.

"Uneventful. You know, the usual..." She paused for a second, considering her day, and then remembered the exciting progress she'd made that afternoon, ignoring what she'd recently learned. "Mind you, Mia accepted the new mittens I knitted for her. That's got to be a good sign, hasn't it: the fact that she doesn't think I've hidden, I don't know, a bomb, or something, in them. She'd never touch anything I gave her before."

Kristoff grinned triumphantly. "That's good. Maybe she is starting to get a little better after all." Pulling off his boot with a grunt of effort, a thought occurred to him and he turned to his wife with eyes which sparkled with excitement. "Hey, d'you reckon we'll be able to take her to see the trolls anytime soon? They all miss her really badly- the kids were so upset that I still haven't brought her over, they didn't even want picking up!"

Anna giggled softly, amused, but then she shook her head sadly. "I reckon it's too early for that. You know, baby steps and all." She felt saddened as she watched Kristoff nod, conveying his understanding, but his silence was worth one thousand words: his daughter's lack of trust had tested both of them to their limits over the last few months, and both were distraught that they had still only made a little progress.

Anna sighed, and there was a slightly awkward silence for a few moments, before she decided that they couldn't mope around for the rest of the day.

"Come on, Kris." She prompted, walking over to him and pulling the grumbling man up to his feet. "I want to take Misty for a ride - she's been having too much time off and she'll start to get fat soon - and you can come with me."

Kristoff groaned as he begrudgingly gave in to his wife's plea and pulled on a lighter pair of boots, sending her glares every other minute. His body ached from a hard day harvesting ice, but in the end, it all came down to Anna; if she needed a distraction from things, then, as her husband, he would oblige her wishes.

Besides, Anna was right (something Kristoff discovered when the pair reached the stables) - her pony was definitely getting fat.

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><p>Mia smiled as she looked at little Freddie, who was laying on his parents' bed on his stomach, lifting his head up to watch her with bright, blue-green eyes which sparkled with interest. The topic of eye colour had truly puzzled the young Princess; she'd overheard her aunt saying that the young boy's eyes had changed slightly, and she had predicted that in the end his eyes would be the same as his father's - emerald green. How on earth did that even work?<p>

She couldn't change her eye colour; how could this young baby do it?

It had taken her a while to accept that her eyes were going to remain blue, not that she disliked them; the idea of being able to change her appearance at will simply interested her. She couldn't quite grasp the concept that Freddie wasn't aware that his eyes were changing colour - they were simply changing as he grew, as he got more melanin in them.

The little baby gurgled loudly, and Mia was snapped back into reality, out of her contemplation about her cousin's 'ability' to change his eyes. He kicked his legs happily as he gave her a gummy smile - something he'd recently learned - and she laughed, reaching over to him and tickling him gently under the chin. Freddie squirmed away from her and rolled over, his arms batting the air as he gurgled some more, and Mia smiled at him.

"Hello, little baby!" She called, climbing up onto the high bed with a little difficulty, and she rolled over to face her cousin, who babbled at her happily and pushed up with his arms, trying to reach for her hair and only succeeding in falling back down. His face contorted into a scowl as he made a displeased grunt, and he rolled over a few times, as if to let out his frustration.

Mia shook her head at her cousin, and reached over. Placing her hands under his arms, she lifted him up into a sitting position, and then moved backwards, gasping as Freddie fell with a squeal, and she frowned. The boy squirmed a little as Mia moved towards him again, this time placing a large pillow behind him to keep the boy upright, and he began to kick and wriggle, before he got used to the new elevation from which he could see.

He gurgled interestedly, scanning the room, and Mia had to tap his cheek to get his attention. Freddie turned his head to look at her, smiling and babbling, reaching for his cousin and muttering, "Ooh-ahh!".

The girl laughed, and she pointed to herself, saying, "Mia." She then looked at the young prince expectantly, waiting for a few seconds before trying again. "Mia." She repeated, slower, and then she tried again, one last time. "Meee-aahh." She pronounced the name as well as she could, enunciating every letter in an over dramatised fashion, and Freddie laughed, clapping his little hands together happily, as he tried to copy her.

"Eeee." He made the sound and then pouted his little lips, frustrated that he couldn't quite make the same sound as his cousin. Shaking his head in his annoyance, nearly falling over from dizziness as a result, and Mia had to catch him and help him back up.

"Eee! Eee! Eee!" Freddie cried, getting a little worked up at his inability to form his cousin's name the way she had. "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Mia smiled at her cousin, as she nodded excitedly as he began to make the two different vowel sounds to make her name. "Yes, yes!" She encouraged, and her happiness was obvious - she enjoyed spending time with her cousin, because he was just a baby. He wouldn't use her; he could be trusted. "Meee-ah!

Freddie frowned in concentration. "Eeeeeh. Aaaaah." He said slowly, with a young baby voice which was not used to making actual sounds which flowed together. "Eehaah!"

Mia grinned happily and reached over, pulling Freddie onto her lap and cuddling him affectionately, and he reached up to hold her hair, fascinated by the soft, platinum blonde strands which were so similar to his mother's. It had taken Mia a while to get used to the boy grabbing her hair, something which had scared her before when she'd panicked that he would never let go; that she was 'trapped'. She understood now that she'd overreacted then, and she'd gotten over that particular fear over the three months since.

She just wished she could trust everyone else like she did the little boy, but she couldn't. She still didn't understand why she'd been sent to "the caves", as she called them, and a part of her still feared that her parents had sent her there as punishment for some unknown wrongdoing of hers. The other part reasoned that her family had gone to a lot of trouble to bring her back, and her mother seemed so relieved whenever she got to spend time with her - still, the suspicious nature she'd developed during her time away from home always overruled her conscience.

After all, instinct would always win out.

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><p>Elsa gripped Odd's hand tightly as she heard Mia trying to get Freddie to say her name, and he grinned at her proudly, pulling her to his side in a warm embrace as she pecked his cheek.<p>

"Eehaah!" A young voice came from inside the room, and Elsa let out a little squeal of excitement as she looked at her husband with shining eyes, who, in return, squeezed her hand in response and chuckled. Both were having to fight the urge to rush into the room and watch as their young son learned to form his first words, despite their primitive nature, but they also knew how important this was for Mia; the chance to be with her cousin, on her own, had helped her massively in overcoming her fears. She now trusted Freddie completely, and as she learned to trust him more, her capacity to trust others would, undoubtedly, increase also.

And no matter how much it hurt Elsa and Odd to be missing out on the moment, the chance for Mia to be the only one to experience such an occasion would truly would help her to feel appreciated, and make her feel worthwhile. If she could come to realise that her family trusted her enough to leave her alone with such a precious child (as far as she was concerned, at least - there was no way Elsa was going to wander around the castle when her three month old son was under the care of a two and a half year old, after all) then surely she would come to realise that they held a great respect for her? In turn, she'd hopefully develop the same respect for them, even if she would always remain wary; that was the important thing.

A few minutes passed, and the pair began to hear a fuss from inside the room, and Mia began to sound a little stressed as Fredrik began to whimper; Elsa, who was beginning to get a bit restless by now, quickly jumped on the opportunity to return to her son, and rushed into the room to relieve her niece of the whining boy, scooping him up quickly in her arms and rocking him gently as she sat on the bed. She was followed by Odd, who was much calmer about the whole situation as he walked over to the bed in a casual manner, lacking the motherly instinct which made women more wary about their child's safety than men, who were naturally more reckless.

Freddie quickly settled in his mother's arms, and soon he was asleep, calmed by her soft humming, and as she stood up to place the boy in his crib, she noticed Mia beginning to shuffle uncomfortably, looking a little out of place. As she laid Freddie down, she quickly motioned Odd over before the child left.

"I think Anna wanted to go for a little ride with Kristoff this evening," She whispered hurriedly, "Why don't you go down to the stables with Mia and see if she wants to ride Lysse? She's been back for a few months now, but hasn't really been out much. Besides, if you find my sister then maybe it'll help with Mia's confidence, if she's around them?"

Odd nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the little girl. "Yeah, okay. You coming?"

Elsa sighed sadly, shaking her head. "I'm afraid not. Even with a three month old baby who demands attention every five minutes, I'm still the Queen and I've got work to do." She looked over at Freddie, and shook her head in frustration. "Don't get me wrong, I love him, but Mia was never this much trouble as a baby! I wish Anna would tell me her secret- I haven't had a decent night sleep in three months!"

Odd chuckled. "You're not the only one," He reminded her, "But don't worry. Fingers crossed he'll start sleeping for a bit longer soon, and then you might begin to understand the term 'well rested' again."

Elsa smiled at her husband, laughing a little as she nodded. "Go on, Odd - go and have a bit of a break. I'll finish a few bits of paperwork, then I'll come join you as well."

Odd nodded, grinning. "Okay, I'll settle for that. Just don't work yourself to death - that won't do anyone any favours."

Rolling her eyes, Elsa retired to her desk, and Odd went over to Mia, who was genuinely excited about the prospect of going riding - so much so that she completely forgot about the fact that her uncle was going with her, and was completely at ease. The Queen smiled as she watched the pair leaving the room, and then she glanced out of her window, scanning the grounds until her eyes landed upon Anna and Kristoff, who were in the schooling arena. At the moment, they were practicing jumping, both looking happy to have a break from work (Anna didn't get out of doing anything just because she wasn't the Queen, Elsa made sure of that) and the general stresses of life.

She sighed as she returned to her work, picking a letter from the pile and opening it, scanning the message inside and groaning in frustration. Freezing the paper, she then threw it into the trash-can grumpily, muttering under her breath about 'that stupid Duke of Weselton' and how she had already made it perfectly clear that Arendelle would forever no longer do business with the kingdom - which part of that decree did they not understand!

Taking the next envelope, Elsa opened it with a little more enthusiasm, instantly recognising the wax seal with the sun emblem as a message from Corona. Tearing it open quickly, she grinned when she read the letter and then stood abruptly, suddenly losing all of her previous willingness to do any work. Rushing out into the hallway, she found Ida dusting one of the windowsills, and quickly called her over, requesting that she watch Fredrik while she went outside, to which her mother in law was all too pleased to oblige.

Running down to the stables, she quickly whistled for her gelding, and after tacking him up in a hurry, not bothering to search for a stable-hand to help her, she hopped on and galloped out into the arena, where the jumps had been put away now, and everyone present - Anna, Kristoff, Odd and Mia - were all racing each-other around the ring, although it was obvious that the adults were holding their animals back to give the child a chance.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled as she galloped over, and her sister turned to face her, breaking from the pack to meet up with her, leaving the two men and the girl to continue racing. "Anna, guess what!"

"What?"

"I got a letter from Corona today, from Rapunzel and Eugene." She began, and Anna's curiosity peaked as she leaned forward in her saddle. "They're coming to visit in a few weeks! And they've got something to tell us!"

Anna squealed excitedly as she bounced around in her seat. "Ooh!" She cried, happily. It had been so long since she'd seen her cousin, and though she'd promised to visit in January, she'd never been able to because there had been too much stormy weather. Anna was glad that she could finally come.

And it would be a great time to reveal her news, as well.

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><p>Mia grinned as her mother tucked her into bed, and she snuggled under the covers happily. After her exhilarating ride earlier with her Mother, Father, Uncle and - a little later on - her Aunt, she was feeling strangely relaxed, the excitement making her weary and calmer. She'd had such a great time, and as her mother - who was looking like all of her dreams had come true - kissed her on the forehead and then left, blowing out the candle on her bedside table, she sighed happily.<p>

She wanted to trust her family, she really did, and it was times like these - times when she genuinely could trust them - that she was happiest.

For possibly first time since she'd come home, Mia did not have a single nightmare that night.

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><p><strong>Okay, so this was the second chapter - how was it? I'd really like to hear your opinions, I got a fair number of reviews last chapter. If everyone who reviewed last time, and a few more readers, could leave even a short comment this chapter, I'd be over the moon :D<strong>

**Anyway, a challenge for this chapter: okay! **

**So, as it's Halloween tonight, we might as well stick with the theme. For this chapter's challenge, choose your favourite character from this series and say what you think they would dress up as for halloween and why (for example, Elsa / Ayla / Mia could be a witch because they are all magical, Anna might be a devil because she is mischevious, etc). The most inventive idea will have a chance to choose what you want to see happen in the next chapter (winners will be published in the chapter comments for next chapter, so you'll get to choose what happens in chapter four)  
><strong>

**Have a spooktacular night!**

**-SG**

**H A P_ P Y . H _A L L O W _E E N __ **


	3. Chapter 3 part I - for anniGirl93

_**Mia grinned as her mother tucked her into bed, and she snuggled under the covers happily. After her exhilarating ride earlier with her Mother, Father, Uncle and - a little later on - her Aunt, she was feeling strangely relaxed, the excitement making her weary and calmer. She'd had such a great time, and as her mother - who was looking like all of her dreams had come true - kissed her on the forehead and then left, blowing out the candle on her bedside table, she sighed happily.**_

_**She wanted to trust her family, she really did, and it was times like these - times when she genuinely could trust them - that she was happiest.**_

_**For possibly first time since she'd come home, Mia did not have a single nightmare that night.**_

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><p><em>April 3rd<br>_

Anna sighed quietly as she ran her hand over her stomach, feeling the very slight curve there which was evidence of her current state. She had visited her doctor at the end of the the previous month when she'd began to feel nauseous, to confirm whether or not her suspicions had been correct, and - alas - she had been right. According to the medic, she was about four months along, give or take a little, which meant that she should be due in September or October, meaning the child would be just short of three years younger than its older sister. Anna smiled at the thought; in theory, the age difference would be perfect - Mia would be close enough in age to play with the new baby and she'd probably be able to understand it better than an adult or older child would, and yet she'd also be old enough to be trusted to not drop it or hurt it.

She frowned as another thought occurred to her - would her new child have magic, like its aunt and sister, or would it be normal, like its mother? Her thoughts trailed off for a second as she smoothed her dress down and then, from some hidden area of her mind, she recalled what Karleif had said about how Elsa and Mia actually had the power to control ice and snow, two years ago.

_"There's something strange, about royal blood. Or, at least, a few samples of it. That is to say, it has strange properties..." _

_"The first Kings and Queens, and this is a little known fact, but the first monarchy had magic. At the time, only a little, turning grass blue, for example, and over the years, it has lay dormant in their descendants, growing ever stronger..."_

_"Only a few royals actually have the magic in their system now, because so many have lost the magic over the years, or else, the original family died out..."_

Anna shook her head in disgust at the horrid memory. She could still remember when Karleif had admitted that he and his mother had killed her parents, because their blood had contained the magical properties which they could harness. She recalled the fear and anger that had come when the sorcerer had stated that he planned to kill both herself and her baby back then, and she could still feel the terror that she'd experienced back then when Elsa had brought the church's roof down to kill Karleif and his mother - and nearly killing herself in doing so.

She glanced out of the window at the slowly rising sun which was painting the kingdom in soft tones of red and orange, and smiled softly as she gazed upon the kingdom. The waves were lapping at the edge of the docks gently, and Anna could vaguely hear a soft bird's song through the glass, a lot more clearly than normal - another symptom of pregnancy, she realised, and the thought made her giddy with happiness. When she'd first realised that she could have been pregnant the previous month, she'd felt worried about it, nervous and unsure as to whether she wanted another child. Now, however, she couldn't have been happier.

She heard a rustling behind her, and she turned to see her husband slowly stirring, sitting up tiredly and looking around, a little confused and disorientated when he noticed the lack of his wife's presence. After a few seconds, his eyes settled on her standing at the wall opposite of him, illuminated by the red rays of light from outside, making her appear to... glow? She smiled at him sheepishly, and he shook his head at her, rolling his eyes (although it was still dark, and Anna could not actually see him doing so).

"What are you doing up, Fiestypants?" Kristoff slurred out, his voice heavy with sleep, "You've been getting up so early recently."

Anna simply smiled sweetly, shrugging, putting on her sweetest 'don't worry about it' face. She began to walk towards the door, and then turned back around to face him for a second.

"It must be the... winter air." She said, grinning hopelessly. "I always used to wake up early, anyway - maybe my past's catching up with me?"

Kristoff chuckled at her as she began to turn away again. "Whatever you say, your highness." He said, bowing his head in mock respect for her status, which he matched now anyway, then he slumped down, sliding back under the covers. "If there's nothing bothering you, I'm goin' back to bed. Looks like I've got another half hour before I need to head out to get up the mountains in time, and I reckon Sven'd kill me if I make him get up early. You know how he is."

Anna giggled as she nodded in amusement. "Sure, sure. I'll see you at breakfast then, 'kay?"

"'Kay..." Kristoff slurred out, and then a deep snore resounded around the room; laughing again, she left quickly, closing the door quietly and heading to the kitchens, her mind working overtime as she tried to decide what she should request for breakfast. As it was, she'd managed to get her previously extensive list of cravings down to a choice of three: eggy bread with bacon and tomatoes; blueberry pancakes with golden syrup; or a large, buttery croissant with a rich chocolate sauce, and maybe some strawberries.

Mmmmmm...

She felt her mouth begin to water at the thought of all the different meals she could ask the Chef to make her for breakfast, knowing that the man would happily oblige her (granted, it was his job to do so, but the cook seemed to hold a special place in his heart for the Princess and her crazy antics). By the time she'd reached the kitchens, she still hadn't managed to make her decision entirely - although she quickly ruled out the eggy bread when she caught a whiff of it with her increasingly sensitive nose, probably the servants' and maids' breakfast which was always served early.

Gagging, Anna had to rush out of the kitchen, and couldn't return for a few minutes until the smell had completely gone from her nose; eventually, she managed to re-enter the room, breathing through her mouth (and feeling slightly sick at breathing in such a putrid aroma) and slowly making her way over to the chef. She'd kept her fingers pinched tightly over her nose the entire time.

"G'morning, Chef," She greeted, smiling at him a little forcibly, and he chuckled at the odd girl.

"Hello, Princess." He replied, as he began to plate up the servants' meal. "You're up early today - any particular reason?"

Anna shook her head, muttering "no", and as she did so her fingers slipped slightly - the eggy aroma quickly forced its way into her nose, and she had to fight to not gag, quickly fixing the issue. "I'm just up early today. I think it's the winter air; it makes me wake sooner, I think."

The chef chuckled, similarly to Kristoff, and shrugged. "Okay, I guess that's fair enough," He said, shrugging it off, "I'm guessing you're down here for some sort of breakfast order?"

Anna nodded, and as the chef served up the last portion of eggy bread, and invited the servants and maids into the kitchen to retrieve their breakfasts before they all got cold, she almost sighed in relief when he began to make his way outside. She followed quickly behind him like a faithful puppy, eager for her own meal - although she still didn't know what she wanted.

"Is this better?" The man asked her kindly as he stepped out of the kitchens, and as Anna removed her fingers from her nose, she nodded her head eagerly. The chef chuckled. "You did look a little uncomfortable in the kitchen - not quite in the mood for eggs today?"

Anna groaned. "Don't mention the word." She said, shaking her head. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could whip me up some breakfast for half an hour's time - and some for Kristoff, too. He's gotta get up early to head up to the mountains, and I'd hate for him to have to go up on an empty stomach, or a hurried breakfast."

"Your wish is my command," The chef teased, "Just tell me what you want."

Anna grinned triumphantly, but then her face fell. "Oh, I'm not sure what I want - I'm stuck between two choices! I'm thinking along the lines of blueberry pancakes and golden syrup, or a croissant with chocolate and strawberries. What d'you reckon?"

The chef rolled his eyes. "You know, just because you have one fruit, it doesn't mean that it's healthy." He chided in a playful tone. "Either way, though, both options sound like good choices. How about you just have both? Then you can pick and choose, and pancakes won't take long to make. I have some croissants ready-made too, so it's no hassle."

Anna smiled happily, nodding excitedly (why was breakfast making her so bubbly today? She wasn't even that hungry.) and she thanked the chef, before turning to leave for the library. Until anyone else awoke, she had nothing to do really, so she may as well read a book; half way to her destination, however, she quickly changed course to head back in the opposite direction

"Chef!" She called out, feeling extremely inspired. The aforementioned man quickly came scurrying out, glancing at her with interest.

"Chef, is there any chance you could do me a favour? Kristoff will be heading off in about three-quarters of an hour or so, once he's up and ready to go, and I want to surprise him with a treat to eat up in the mountains. Is there any chance you can make me a small - well, medium - sized carrot cupcake for him, with a nice cream-cheese frosting? He'll like that, and then I want to make a decoration to go on top - I'll make it myself, though, you don't have to worry about that."

The chef looked a little unsure, but he resented when he saw the girl's excited face. "I can do my best." He said, "And it's just the one you want?"

Nodding happily, Anna beamed at the man, feeling giddy with excitement. The chef chuckled and sighed. "Thank God - I don't know if I'd have time to make more. Anyway, you said you want to make the decoration for the top yourself, would you like to do it now?" Faltering for a second when he saw the girls unsure face, he rolled his eyes discreetly. Normally, one would not dare to do so in front of a member of the royal family, but both Elsa and Anna were so different to other monarchs; so much calmer. "The egg smell's gone." He added as an afterthought, and the Princess, hearing this new bit of information, agreed to accompany him to make her own contribution to her husband's cake.

She just hoped he understood the meaning of it.

* * *

><p>Mia stumbled sleepily into her aunt's room, her dreams being plagued by nightmares again so that sleep had been impossible, and headed over to the baby crib next to Elsa's side of the bed. Standing on her tiptoes, she peered over to edge to look at the little baby who was laying there, and as soon as her face emerged over the side of the crib, Freddie - who was awake, but quiet - began to gurgle a little, reaching up for her face happily, and he kicked his legs a few times, successfully knocking off his covers.<p>

"Eehaah!" He cried out loudly, and Mia cringed as she waited for what was coming; Elsa and Odd shot up and quickly looked over to their son, but, upon seeing that he was fine, they both noticeably relaxed. Mia whimpered quietly at their sudden movements, expecting some form of punishment, but none came - after a few seconds of silence, when her aunt did not make any angry moves or expressions, her thudding heart slowed a little.

Elsa yawned loudly, tired from waking up early, and she slowly shuffled out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown over her nightdress as her husband also sidled out, groaning as he stood up, stretching.

"What time is it?" He mumbled, looking over to the clock and frowning, "Half six? Blergh."

Elsa smiled - not quite awake enough to manage a laugh - and little Mia giggled; Freddie, picking up on the happy atmosphere, also gurgled, clapping happily. Odd grinned tiredly - ever since coming to live in the castle, where he didn't have to get up early to make sure he wasn't going to be attacked by any wild animals, or to gather enough food and supplies for the future, he'd been getting more sleep, up to two or three hours on top of what he had been used to before. He wouldn't lie - the extra rest was nice.

"Freddie's not going to go back to sleep now - we may as well just get up and get some breakfast." Elsa admitted, as she bent down and picked up her son from his crib, who reached up and stroked her cheek with interest. "Come on; let's go and get some breakfast."

* * *

><p>Anna smiled as she finished off the last of her meal - in the end, she'd decided that she was hungry enough to just eat all of the food presented to her, both the croissants and the pancakes. She was feeling quite bloated now and a tiny little bit guilty, but when she remembered the surprise she had for Kristoff, her feelings of regret turned into mad excitement.<p>

Rushing towards the kitchens, she noticed the grandfather clock now read 6:45, meaning Kristoff was about five minutes late getting up, unless he was still getting ready - an unlikely event, considering how rare it was for the man to spend more than a minute or two dressing.

Anna rushed into the kitchen, knowing that she had to be quick to finish the cupcake's decoration before her husband left for work. Accepting the freshly frosted treat from the chef gratefully (she did feel a little bad when she saw how stressed the man appeared to be after having to rush to make the order), she hurried over to the other end of the kitchen where she had already made a small, fondant icing adornment to place on top.

Quickly putting her contribution on the icing, she sighed, and then gently picked the cake up; tenderly dropping it into a small box, and, sealing it with a bow, she grinned triumphantly as she ran from the kitchen. Placing the box down on the large dining room table, in the corner, she then rushed to her own room to get changed into some warmer clothes, suitable for below-zero temperatures. Amazing, she didn't run into Kristoff once, and she could only assume that he was feeding Sven.

Scurrying back to the dining hall, she sat down calmly and waited patiently for her husband to arrive, having to fight not to eat his food which had been brought inside, in preparation for him to come. The staff of the castle knew he worked on a tight schedule, and always tried to meet his timings.

Eventually, after what felt like years, he showed up in the room, grinning at Anna as he came over to greet her; in return, the Princess smiled sweetly - a little too sweetly - and sat, staring at him as he ate.

For the first few minutes, Kristoff managed to ignore his wife's obvious watching him, but after a short time it got frustrating, and he looked up with a questioning glance as to what she was waiting for. She giggled excitedly, and he pushed his bowl away, crossing his arms and chuckling in amusement, waiting for some sort of explanation for her strange behaviour. It was then that he noticed Anna's current get-up, and he frowned.

"Why are you looking so innocent, as if you've done something?" He accused, and Anna blushed, looking away, muttering about how she'd done 'nothing, nothing at all...'. Kristoff wasn't convinced, as he continued, asking "And why are you dressed up like that? Your dress is so thick - it's a winter dress! It's not that cold in here... Is it?"

Anna blushed again. "Okay, okay, you caught me..." She admitted, her face matching her bright hair. "I've got a surprise for you - here." She handed him the small box, which she had been hiding under the table. Kristoff accepted the gift suspiciously, and went to open it, but Anna stopped him, placing her smaller, dainty hand on his larger one.

"Wait. First, you have to promise me something. I am coming with you ice harvesting today. Deal?" Anna was smiling, but her tone was sharp, clearly implying that there was no room for negotiation. Kristoff, tough relucatant at first, nodded to signify that she would get her way - the fiesty Princess often seemed to work her own evil spell on him, leaving him powerless to do anything but comply with her, the horribly adorable witch that she was.

"Okay, you can open the box now." She whispered, placing her hand in his palm excitedly. She was a little nervous, but overall she was just giddy with happy nerves.

Kristoff slowly undid the bow and placed the ribbon on the table, looking at Anna suspiciously, not quite able to fathom whether this was a prank or a genuine surprise. Opening the lid slowly, a delicious smell reached his nose, the unmistakeable aroma of carrot cake, and he grinned as he breathed it in. Taking the little cake from its case, he looked at it, and noticed the decoration on the top - a teddy bear.

"What's this?" He questioned, not quite appreciating the true message of the gift, and Anna smiled sweetly, now a little more nervous, and he frowned as he looked at the teddy bear. And then it hit him.

"You're pregnant?" He whispered, sounding a little unsure, and his wife grinned at him for working it out, nodding. Kristoff chuckled and picked her up, hugging her tightly and making her laugh, but then he quickly pushed her away, looking as if he'd done something terrible.

"Oh, God, I didn't hurt you, did I?" He all but cried out in his panic, and Anna giggled.

"No, no. You're fine." She reassured him, smiling, and then stood a little taller as she pecked his cheek. "So, when do we get going up the mountain?"

* * *

><p>Elsa smiled as she watched Mia skipping down the hallway, happy to see the girl looking excited. Odd had promised her a day out in the forest today, and now that she trusted him more, she was overly excited to go.<p>

"What's this?" A voice - Kristoff's voice - came from inside the dining hall, and Elsa paused, holding Odd's hand to stop him from going in, and whispering for Mia to come back, not wanting to intrude on a personal moment.

There were a few seconds of silence as the Queen began to drag her husband and niece back, her son squirming a little in her arms, when they heard it. "You're pregnant?" A happy laugh followed quickly after.

Elsa's face broke into a massive smile - she'd had her suspicions, but hadn't wanted to ask her to confirm or decline these. Ushering the group back, she grinned knowingly at Odd, whereas Mia was just confused. She didn't quite understand the word 'pregnancy'.

"Come on," Elsa said, under her breath so as not to alert Anna and Kristoff of their presence, "Let's go to the kitchens. I'm sure Chef won't mind if we eat in there."

* * *

><p><strong>So, that's part one of chapter three - I was going to do a bit more, but then I realised that it might make thenchapter quite jumpy and hard to read, so I'm just going to do it in two parts. <strong>

**I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers since the end of the last book, you guys have made my day! I feel sort of bad about taking so long to update, but if it's any consolation, these chapters are long ones :D (and I've been absolutely swamped with homework this last week - do my teachers think I'm stupid and need the extra work or something? I'm offended.)  
><strong>

**Anyway, the challenge winners: **

**Pabulover123 (Odd in a raccoon costume - teehee)**

**junebteacher [guest] (Elsa making herself a personal flurry and go as the idiom "Feeling under the weather" - cool idea)**

**Anony mouse101 (Anna as sneaky, mischevious, curious and affection cat - clever). **

**To the three people above, if you can give me your ideas by saturday - if possible - that'd be great, so that I have time to actually write the chapter. I'll definitely include one idea in the next chapter or then one after (considering the next chapter is part two of this one) Or if they're all good ideas, two or three)!  
><strong>

**Also, can I give a special shout-out to anniGirl93 for her amazing pictures which helped me so much with writing this chapter! Love you!**

**Now, there isn't a challenge this chapter, I'm afraid, because we technically already have a challenge for the three above, but to the rest of you please, review still! You know how much it makes my day.**

**Love y'all!**

**-SG**


	4. Chapter 3 part II - for JuneBTeacher

_**Elsa smiled as she watched Mia skipping down the hallway, happy to see the girl looking excited. Odd had promised her a day out in the forest today, and now that she trusted him more, she was overly excited to go.**_

_**"What's this?" A voice - Kristoff's voice - came from inside the dining hall, and Elsa paused, holding Odd's hand to stop him from going in, and whispering for Mia to come back, not wanting to intrude on a personal moment.**_

_**There were a few seconds of silence as the Queen began to drag her husband and niece back, her son squirming a little in her arms, when they heard it. "You're pregnant?" A happy laugh followed quickly after.**_

_**Elsa's face broke into a massive smile - she'd had her suspicions, but hadn't wanted to ask her to confirm or decline these. Ushering the group back, she grinned knowingly at Odd, whereas Mia was just confused. She didn't quite understand the word 'pregnancy'.**_

_**"Come on," Elsa said, under her breath so as not to alert Anna and Kristoff of their presence, "Let's go to the kitchens. I'm sure Chef won't mind if we eat in there."**_

* * *

><p><em>April 3rd<em>

Anna let out a thrilled cry of excitement as she tore wildly through the forest with her husband. Sven's hooves were beating the ground in a way which made him appear to be flying and he, too, let out an excited bleat as he continued forward with as much speed as he could, and even Kristoff seemed to be enjoying the ride, despite his new fears for his wife's safety.

A few hours passed, Sven obediently galloping onwards over the increasingly frozen ground, not letting his weariness and fatigue show as he continued to speed forward. He was breathing heavily and there was a layer of sweat forming around his shoulders and his neck, and he had to fight the urge to stop - and yet he'd never felt more alive. The opportunity to run as fast as he wanted was exhilarating, and even though he collapsed tiredly when Kristoff unhooked the sled, he couldn't help lolling his tongue out happily and wagging his little tail happily.

Anna giggled slightly at the reindeer's amusing antics as she allowed a fussing Kristoff to help her get down from the sledge. She rolled her eyes as he began to nervously rattle off question after question, clearly not comfortable with her being here now that she was suddenly so much more frail and helpless.

She almost snorted at her own thought. _As if_.

She permitted him to check that she was still in one piece for a few more seconds, but when he noticed the slight, almost indistinguishable curve of her stomach as he assessed her, he began to panic, stressing that she should probably just go back home incase anything happened; Anna quickly began to get annoyed as she huffed and crossed her arms grumpily. Even Sven snorted in frustration as his friend continued to come up with reason after reason as to why the pregnant princess shouldn't be there, and soon decided that he had to take matters into his own hooves.

Getting up slowly, he trotted over to Kristoff and stood next to him for a few moments, and Anna looked saddened - let down, even - as if she'd been counting on the reindeer to back her up. Sven, however, was not going to let his 'sister-in-law', as he saw her, to remain so down-trod, nor had he ever been planning on doing so. He wagged his tail happily as he grinned in his own special way, looking at Kristoff innocently, and then he winked at Anna cheekily - _since when did Sven even learn to wink_, she found herself wondering - and then lifted his left rear leg a little. He paused for a second, giving his friend just enough time to open his mouth, then gave him a strong boot to the stomach.

Kristoff grunted and doubled over, and Anna giggled at this, shaking her head at her husband. Petting Sven affectionately, she bent down to offer her husband a hand, helping to pull him up and smiling warmly.

"I think what Sven is trying to say," She began, grinning, "Is _shut up_."

Kristoff looked annoyed as he stood straighter, wincing slightly, and he sighed. "Fine," He grunted, "But don't go tricking me into doing anything again. You know I'd hate myself if anything happened, _especially_ now." He looked at her pleadingly, in one last attempt to make her feel bad - make her feel guilty, even, and return home. Of course, Anna wasn't one who gave in lightly.

"Are you saying I'm _weak_?" Anna accused, frowning. "Just because I'm pregnant, does _not_ mean that I'm fragile! If I want to come ice harvesting, then I _can_ come ice harvesting!"

Kristoff looked shocked at his wife's outburst, and held his hands out in a submissive gesture.

"OK, OK." He relented. "All I ask is that can you please try to be careful on the ice? I don't want you to fall - you remember what happened before, I'm sure?" His eyes were slightly sadder than before as he recalled what had happened at Elsa and Odd's after-wedding party, when Anna, a few months pregnant, had been dropped and had miscarried. This seemed to hit the mark, and the Princess nodded more seriously.

"Don't worry, Kris." She assured him, "I managed to survive Elsa's winter, and there wasn't a lack of ice back then. And I've gotten better at ice skating - I think I'll be okay." She was a lot calmer now, her mood having changed rapidly. She smiled reassuringly, and then pulled on a pair of gloves from out of the back of the sled.

She clapped happily. "Come on then!" She called cheerfully. "Hand me a pickaxe - let's get going!"

* * *

><p>"Please, Auntie Elsa!" Mia pleaded, her large blue eyes shining with hope. For some reason, the child was extra trusting today - perhaps it was because her aunt had already fed her a large handful of Turkish Delights. The sweet treats seemed to work magic on the youngest Arendelle Princess; they were the key to gaining her trust, at least in the short term. Elsa knew she'd have to recommend it to her sister - maybe she'd have to give up her stash of Turkish Delights for a while so that Mia would have to go to her own mother for her sugar fix.<p>

Looking into the little girls eyes, she sighed, knowing that there was no way she could deny her niece when she was giving her the 'puppy-dog eyes'. Elsa sighed, smiling.

"Okay, okay." She said, bending down and picking Mia up, who laughed in her arms and was completely at ease. Like her mother, sugar clearly solved many of her problems. "I'll come, but I can only stay out for a few hours - otherwise Freddie will get hungry." She turned to Odd, who was grinning triumphantly at her. She couldn't help but suspect that he may have had something to do with it, and she narrowed her eyes at him for a second, and then smiled. She couldn't keep the mask of frustration up. "I guess I'll leave Freddie with your Mother." She commented, "No doubt she'll enjoy spending the time with her Grandson."

Odd chuckled. "True," He added, "She'd be putty in your hands if you offered to give her Freddie for the afternoon."

Mia giggled happily. "Yay!" She cried, and then rushed outside, jumping up and down enthusiastically. "Thank you, Auntie Elsa!" She bounced around uncharacteristically - must have been a sugar rush - and then she rushed off through the corridors, hurrying down the stairs (or rather, stumbling down the last few) and then scampered off to the stables.

Elsa shook her head in amusement, and sat down on the bed. Freddie, who was laying to her side, rolled over to reach his mother, and nearly fell off in the process; after rescuing him from dropping, she pulled the baby onto her lap and dragged a blanket over her breasts so that she could feed him, without embarrassing her husband. Odd wouldn't have actually cared, but it was still expected of her anyway, and she had to follow protocol.

A few seconds passed in awkward silence, and then Elsa grinned at her husband sheepishly. "You don't have to stay here, you know." She teased, as she stroked her son's head under the blanket, the soft brown hair tangling slightly in her fingers. "You should go and get Brandy ready, and help Mia with Lysse - I can come down to the stables in a few minutes to get my boy."

Odd folded his arms stubbornly, refusing to leave, as he scooted closer to his wife and pulled the blanket down, so that he could see his son and wife. Elsa blushed, and looked away modestly - even though she knew he'd seen much more than he'd just revealed beforehand anyway - and she instinctively pulled her arms a little closer to her breasts to hide them.

Odd laughed, as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Hey, hey. Don't worry, Elsa - I'm not going to judge you."

She blushed a little more and looked away as a strange wave of shyness overcame her, and she giggled nervously. Freddie batted his little arms around as he continued to nurse, quite contented.

"Aww, come on!" He teased, reaching over to her chin and tilting her head towards him, and he leaned in to kiss her, placing gentle pecks on her cheek, her lips, at the nape of her neck and on her forehead. She moved to brush her fingertips over his, and he smiled when he drew back. "There we go - much better." He grinned at her triumphantly, "Just remember, you don't have to adhere to all of their rules. You're your own person, and this little guy," He ruffled Freddie's hair affectionately, "Is _our_ son. He's not their son, so why should they decide how you raise him? Hmm?"

Elsa smiled at her husband and nodded, feeling reassured. "Okay," She whispered, and then she felt Freddie unlatch from her breast; sitting him up, she patted his back gently a few times, and then pulled the top of her dress back over her bare shoulder.

Standing up, she smoothed down her skirt, and then smiled at her husband who followed suit. "Come on, then. You'd better go and get the horses - I'll be down in a second. I'll just find your Mother, and then I'll meet you down there, hmm?"

Odd reluctantly agreed to go, and Elsa smiled as she watched him departing - how had she been so lucky to find him? Of course, she knew the answer, crazy as it was; who would have guessed that Anna's matchmaking would have actually resulted in them getting married, having a child, even! Granted, it wasn't all easy, especially with the whole matter of Bjørn and the marriage, but in the end, it had worked out.

It was ironic, she found, that she felt herself lucky to be with him, for he, no doubt, also felt the same way; both Kristoff and Odd had, presumably, felt like the luckiest men alive to not only be marrying the one they loved, but also a Princess and Queen respectively - as Elsa scanned her knowledge of history, she struggled to find any other examples of a royal marrying a commoner aside from Henry VIII. It was scandalous, to be sure, but then again, so were Elsa's ice powers. Over time, she'd learnt to just ignore people who looked down at her; they were just good for nothing, so why should she bother with them?

After a few minutes, she managed to find Ida sitting in the servants' quarters, sipping some tea, and she smiled when the woman looked over. Elsa laughed when she saw her mother-in-law's face break into a wide grin, and she rushed over quickly to see her grandson. Freddie watched her coming with large eyes, and then gurgled happily.

"Hi, Ida." Elsa greeted, and she laughed quietly as she handed her son over to the woman, who instantly began fussing over him. "Any chance you could look after little man today? Mia's badgering me to go out to the forest today with her and Odd."

Ida looked like Christmas had come early, and she grinned happily as she nodded, but then her expression fell, and she looked down.

"I wish I could, your Majesty," She began, and Elsa coughed slightly. She didn't like to be named so formally when it came to family - even if Ida was in her employment too. "Sorry, I mean Elsa. Either way, I've got a lot of chores at the moment... I don't know if I can watch him at the same time..."

Elsa thought for a moment, then smiled. "Don't worry about your chores. Someone else can do them, I'm sure, and it's only for an hour or so. Besides, I need Freddie taken care of much more than I need the window sills dusted."

Ida looked absolutely ecstatic, and she took her grandson happily. "Oh, okay then." She gave in, and cuddled the baby to her. "Thanks, Elsa."

* * *

><p>Anna laughed happily as she skated across the ice, doing an arabesque as she sped up. She twirled around, waving at Kristoff who was watching nervously from a distance, and then she faced forwards again, angling her body so that she slid in a curve around the edge of the frozen lake. Her expression fell, however, when she tried to slow down; gasping, she zoomed towards the edge of the ice, and landed with an audible thud when she fell in a pile of snow. Spluttering, she sat up and brushed herself off, a little sore but generally happy as she giggled.<p>

It was nice to get out again.

* * *

><p>Rapunzel grinned as she saw land coming into view in the distance, and she jumped up and down as she laid her hand upon her now-obvious stomach, her long blonde hair, which had been pulled up into a plait, swinging around her. She spun around excitedly when Eugene entered the room, and ran over to him happily, leaping into his arms like a hyper-active child.<p>

"We're nearly there!" She cried happily, her eyes sparkling with glee. Eugene chuckled at his crazy wife.

"We are, aren't we?" He grinned, before he kissed her and placed her on the sofa. Kissing her again, he began to trail little pecks down her neck, until the Princess' breath caught in her throat - and then he tickled her under her chin, and at her sides. Rapunzel squirmed, and rolled off the seat, crawling through her husband's legs to escape.

"Oh no you don't, Ryder!" She cried, scowling at him in a light-hearted way. "Don't even think about it!"

* * *

><p>Elsa grinned as she raced back to the castle with her husband and niece, the latter of whom was surprisingly good at riding for a two and a half year old. She laughed as Odd let go of his stallion's reins and galloped along with his arms raised high in the air, using his legs to remain seated in the saddle, and Mia tried to copy him, too - thankfully, she could only manage to raise one hand in the air, the other remaining with the reins safely.<p>

It had been an exhilarating ride, and now Elsa was feeling completely at ease. She had been stressed before the trip out, although she hadn't actually realised it at the time, both from a lack of sleep and all the work she had to do, and having a chance to just let go had helped her immensely. She'd definitely have to do this again, and it seemed to have done wonders for Mia, too; the child seemed completely at ease with her companions after the exhilarating race. Maybe she should invite Anna and Kristoff out with them too one day - it hurt her to know that Mia could trust her aunt, but didn't have it in her to trust her own mother and father.

As they slowed their horses - and reindeer, in the younger child's case - down to a trot when they reached the edge of the forest, and Elsa frowned slightly as she saw a crowd gathering by the docks. Even more surprising was the large ship which was very nearly here, and she recognised the flag of Corona instantly. Grinning, she gestured to Odd and her niece to follow her lead and to head to the port, which the other two did happily.

It was only a few minutes until Rapunzel's ship reached the kingdom, and Elsa felt a little bad that Anna was missing out on greeting her cousin, but she probably wouldn't be back from ice-harvesting until at least the late afternoon, so there wasn't much she could do.

Mia waited a little nervously for the people to come off of the ship - anyone she hadn't seen before, or anyone she hadn't seen since the events in the Southern Isles, did not have her trust, and though she wasn't quite as nervous as she had been when she'd returned home, she was still paranoid. Some things can never be gotten over, after all.

When the blonde princess appeared on the ship, everyone cheered happily, but Mia only whimpered, and backed Lysse up so that she was hidden behind her Aunt's horse. Rapunzel waved happily as she ran down the ramp, excited to see her cousins again, and Eugene followed after, also eager to meet up with Odd and Kristoff again, whom he enjoyed spending time with. Both were outcasts from society in a crazily high position, and it was nice to have someone else to relate to sometimes.

"Elsa!" Rapunzel greeted happily, and she rushed over quickly and wrapped her cousin in a massive hug. "Elsa, how are you! It's been so long since I've seen you! And little Fredrik, too! How's he?"

Elsa laughed at the young woman's excitability. "Come on, you. Let's get you into the castle - I wasn't expecting you quite so soon though!"

"The wind was in our favour," Eugene chipped in, "Got here four or five days ahead of schedule."

Elsa smiled, and then she noticed her cousin's prominent bump which she'd failed to notice when the said woman had almost bowled her over. She raised her eyebrows and grinned, and Rapunzel blushed deep crimson.

"I see you two have been having some good times recently?" She hinted, and Rapunzel's face coloured even more, making her look like a beetroot's identical twin. "Haha, I'm kidding. It's nice to see things finally worked out."

Eugene chuckled at his wife's embarrassment, and then he whistled for Max to give them a ride to the castle. While he waited for the stallion to dismount, he grinned at his cousin-in-law. "Yep." He confirmed, affirming the obvious, while Rapunzel giggled.

"Three months to go," She said with a quiet, but clearly enthusiastic voice, "Then we'll have our own little rascal." She beamed at Eugene, who put on his best 'Oh-my-gosh' face.

"Oh, joy." He said sarcastically, although those close to him knew he was excited too. As Max trotted up next to him, he snorted at the man's comment and then pushed his way over to Rapunzel, who climbed onto his back gladly. Grumpily permitting Eugene to get on him too, he followed the other animals back to the castle.

* * *

><p>Anna grinned as she ran across the ice on Sven's back. She was a bad influence on the reindeer and she knew it - normally he'd be working hard, but today, he was simply having fun.<p>

Sven let out a loud bleat as he skidded across the ice and then leaped through the air just for fun - the second he landed, however, both he and Anna knew they were in a spot of trouble. The ice was thinner here and couldn't support their combined weight, and soon both were falling.

Sven got out of the water easily enough, his thick fur making him more buoyant, but Anna had more difficulty, and her panicked cries weren't loud enough. Every time Sven crept closer to try to reach her, the ice simply cracked more and more under his feet, and he soon realised he couldn't reach her. Bleating loudly to get Kristoff's attention, he began to panic and dance on the spot, looking terrified.

Anna began to thrash around more and more as she panicked, and she kicked wildly to get out of the freezing water. Kristoff came running up to her soon after, skidding across the ice and diving into the increasingly large hole to help her.

The icy cold water burned his skin and made his eyes water, and he was instantly reminded of the day Mia had gone missing before, when everyone had fallen into the sea; no doubt by Anna's faraway look, she was recalling that moment too. Her own kicking slowed down as Kristoff began to fight against gravity more, trying to push his way through the water with his wife, who seemed to be going into a panic - perhaps from the memories, or as a result of the cold water - and eventually, he managed to pull her out. She was shaking, convulsing even, and she was beginning to murmur over and over again the same two words: "Mia, no, Mia, no, no, no, no, Mia..."

"Come on, Bud," Kristoff called to his companion as he already began to sprint back across the ice, knowing that only that area was too thin to hold his weight. He was shivering by now and the wet clothes plastered to his body didn't help, but he only had one goal; as he climbed up into the sledge, he quickly draped his dry jacket over his wife's body, and pulled out the blanket for the picnic that was going to be their lunch, covering Anna with that too. Quickly attaching Sven to the sled, he urged him forward.

Cuddling Anna closer to him, hoping to share any warmth he had left with her, he joined in with her chants, although with his own, more conscious and intelligent variation, managing to make out more than her two words. "Come on, Anna... Anna, shush... Shush, Anna, it's okay... Calm down, Anna... Come on..."

Sven galloped fast down the hill, the sled crashing behind him dangerously fast, but neither he nor Kristoff noticed - both just wanted to get home.

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><p><strong>Okay, so this is part two of chapter three. I'm sorry it took a long time for me to update again, although I only got a few reviews this chapter, so I have an excuse. It seems that no one really wants to comment on my work unless I do a challenge, and honestly, I'm a little annoyed tonight about that. I don't want you guys to need bribery to leave me a comment, so I'm going to try out something new.<strong>

**There won't be any more challenges for a while, but I'm hoping that you'll still be able to find it in your hearts to leave a review. I'm not saying you have to review every single chapter, but I give up my time to write this story for you and all I ask is that you give up less than a minute of your time to leave a comment. I don't get any money to do this, and though I do enjoy writing it, I'm busy too with GCSEs and mock exams coming up, and I could be spending my time differently. **

**Just a sentence or two makes my day. It's not so hard - please, half a minute of your time once a week. That's less time than it takes to get a bowl of cereal!**

**I want to see how this goes. If I do get a fair number of 'non-artificial' reviews from you guys, as I'm calling them, then I'll be more inspired, too. If you genuinely like this story, then review and get updates quicker.**

**I do love you guys, but sometimes love is harsh. **

**- SG**


	5. Chapter 3 part III - for OmegaMarker

_**The icy cold water burned his skin and made his eyes water, and he was instantly reminded of the day Mia had gone missing before, when everyone had fallen into the sea; no doubt by Anna's faraway look, she was recalling that moment too. Her own kicking slowed down as Kristoff began to fight against gravity more, trying to push his way through the water with his wife, who seemed to be going into a panic - perhaps from the memories, or as a result of the cold water - and eventually, he managed to pull her out. She was shaking, convulsing even, and she was beginning to murmur over and over again the same two words: "Mia, no, Mia, no, no, no, no, Mia..."**_

_**"Come on, Bud," Kristoff called to his companion as he already began to sprint back across the ice, knowing that only that area was too thin to hold his weight. He was shivering by now and the wet clothes plastered to his body didn't help, but he only had one goal; as he climbed up into the sledge, he quickly draped his dry jacket over his wife's body, and pulled out the blanket for the picnic that was going to be their lunch, covering Anna with that too. Quickly attaching Sven to the sled, he urged him forward.**_

_**Cuddling Anna closer to him, hoping to share any warmth he had left with her, he joined in with her chants, although with his own, more conscious and intelligent variation, managing to make out more than her two words. "Come on, Anna... Anna, shush... Shush, Anna, it's okay... Calm down, Anna... Come on..."**_

_**Sven galloped fast down the hill, the sled crashing behind him dangerously fast, but neither he nor Kristoff noticed - both just wanted to get home.**_

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><p>Rapunzel groaned in frustration as her long, blonde hair caught on the door handle for at least the third time that day - what were the chances? - and she stamped her foot in frustration, huffing. Placing one hand on her swollen stomach subconsciously, she used the other to grab hold of her hair, pulling at it roughly as if she could just get rid of it once and for all, and she winced at the pain but did not stop. Eugene had to rush over to stop her, and she glared at him angrily for doing so.<p>

"No!" She shouted, unfathomably angry and frustrated. She, herself, didn't even understand where all of her bitterness stemmed from, but she didn't think about that much - she was too busy trying to pull her hair out.

"Get off, Ryder!" She shouted, spinning her arm in an attempt to get free, and when that failed, she took her other palm off of her stomach, and used it to land a sharp slap upon his cheek. Eugene grunted and loosened his grip slightly, and this was enough for Rapunzel; moving stealthily, she spun away from him and ran off, feeling like she wasn't in control of her own mind - simply helpless.

Rushing into the kitchen in a wave of emotions which didn't seem to fit together, she began to suspect her rash behaviour was not just caused by her unstable hormones. She felt her hand move on its own accord to grasp a knife resting on the side, and then she concealed the blade beneath her cloak, hiding it between the two layers of material, and scuttling away. By now, she was beginning to panic, but the fear didn't show on her face; she could feel her legs moving, and yet she couldn't get them to stop.

She felt detached from her own body, which had been stolen from her by some unknown force.

She was rushed into one of Arendelle Castle's spare rooms which had been set up for her and Eugene to share, and she scampered to the vanity. The force controlling her seemed to be getting clumsy as it made her move now; her uncontrollable limbs were more hectic now, perhaps suggesting that whatever was doing this to her was getting anxious, or perhaps excited.

"Blondie, what's wrong?" Eugene's voice came from the doorway, and the young woman wanted to cry out for help, but her pleas never reached her lips, which were no longer her own. She felt her hand move to display the knife, and as the force turned her body to look at her poor husband, she saw his eyes widen in panic, and felt so bad at causing him such fear.

She felt her hand being angled towards herself, and began to grow fearful as well; she worried what the force was doing to her, what fate had in store for her at the hand of a monster - and yet her own hand, too. She felt sweat bead on her neck, but it was all in her imagination - she still had no say in how her body was being operated. She felt like she was just trapped inside an animated corpse, almost like a parasite.

She would have sighed in relief - if she could - when the force pulled her hand away from her chest, and the eyes which didn't truly seem to be her own detected Eugene's relief. He raised his hands slowly as if she were dangerous, and began to inch towards her, looking unsure about her intentions.

"Come on, 'Punzel..." He said, and the words hurt the addressee, who could do nothing to stop 'her own' actions. She whimpered in her mind, but of course, it didn't show upon her face. "Put the knife down, 'Punzel... You don't want to do this - please, just put the knife down!"

Rapunzel could feel her heart throbbing deep down, although in actuality it just continued to beat at a steady rate. Her hand drifted up to the side of her neck, once again panicking both her and the man before her, and the other moved to grip her masses of hair. The blade came to rest against the still-braided blonde locks, and with a strength she didn't know she possessed, sliced cleanly through.

She gasped in her mind, feeling her imagined eyes fill with tears as the plaits fell to the floor, rapidly turning a dark brown for the second time in her life. She felt her mouth curve up into an unwilling smile, and then her legs gave way. She began to feel a little more in power of herself as she saw Eugene looking at her with wide, unbelieving eyes, and his expression was easily readable - and she could understand why, too. After all, even if it did get in the way, her hair's magical properties were incredibly useful - or rather, used to be useful, until a few seconds ago - and they shouldn't be abused. And they shouldn't be wasted either - no doubt Eugene must have thought she was simply being a stupid, selfish child.

She gasped as a pain wracked her chest, and she began to feel her own body in her control again. She curled up in a ball as tears formed in her eyes from the unexplainable agony, and she writhed as she felt her skin crawling, as if something was fighting to get out. She could hear Eugene rushing over to her and muttering, obviously scared and unprepared for her reaction, forgetting his previous frustration at her, and then, for just a second, came relief. She sighed, and then screamed as she felt something seep through her very skin, as a rush of air swirled around the room - she knew that people did have magic these days, and had no doubt that it had been the force controlling her which had just left her body.

Breathing heavily as the rush of air subsided, she groaned, her now-short brown hair feeling strange and unwelcome. Reaching out for her husband weakly, she pulled her head onto his lap, and then passed out from the pain.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Elsa asked, looking panicked, and she drew Mia closer to her, shielding her ears from the screams, but the damage was already done; terrified, the girl's eyes widened and filled with tears, and she ran away from her aunt in fear.<p>

Elsa began to follow, but Odd grabbed her hand quickly, shaking his head, and she knew he was right - doing so would only have made Mia feel like she was being stalked, and then they'd be back to square one.

"Come on," She said, "I guess we'd better go and see what happened?"

Odd nodded, but then froze. "Wait..." He paused, running over to the window, "Hey, Elsa! Kristoff and Anna are back - they're not due back for hours yet."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Oh, God!" She cried, "Are they okay?" She rushed to the window with her husband, and she watched as a panicked looking Kristoff jumped off of the sledge with Anna in his arms, wrapped in blankets and his own jacket; obviously all was not well. She felt her legs go limp, and she grabbed hold of Odd's arm to support herself. In response, he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her upright, but he was feeling weak too.

Kristoff burst into the castle quickly, not bothering that he was trailing mud all over the sleek, polished floors as he rushed up the stairs into his ad Anna's bedroom, shouting loudly for someone to bring warm duvets and that a bed needed to be set up next to the fireplace to help keep the Princess warm. Elsa struggled after him, still supported by Odd, and tears were flowing down her cheeks; she rested her head upon his shoulder as she sobbed, and he had no way to comfort her other than to simply be there.

By the time they reached the room in which Anna was now lain, maids were swarming around with hot water bottles, one stoking the fire to keep it burning strongly and the rest gathering more blankets and covers with which to keep their Princess warm. The doctor was there, too, taking her temperature and looking grave; meanwhile, Kristoff sat dutifully by his wife's head, staring at her with worried eyes.

It was more than Elsa could bear. The sight of her sister's pale blue skin which so resembled how she looked after her heart had frozen made her panic, and when she began to shake, her breathing heavy, Odd had to rush her away quickly, before she fainted.

* * *

><p>After hearing Rapunzel's screams, Mia had hidden away all afternoon, too scared to even show her face, and no one had come looking for her, not that she wanted them to anyway. Eventually, when the darkness came, the pangs from her stomach had became too strong to resist; creeping out of her little hiding hole, she looked left and right down the corridor and scuttled out. Slowly inching down the corridors, she looked around nervously, and couldn't help but feel completely exposed out here; she whimpered, and rushed to the nearest room which wasn't completely in the dark.<p>

It just so happened to be her mother's room.

Hurrying inside, she looked at the scene before her with wide, shocked eyes. What was her mother doing, sleeping by the fire with the cover on? She'd boil!

Walking over to the older Princess carefully, keeping an eye on her father to make sure he didn't try anything, she went up to her side and instantly noticed how pale her skin looked, and she frowned. She watched as the woman rolled over slowly and, as her eyes fluttered open, she gave her daughter a weak smile. Mia whimpered for a minute and backed up, and Anna's heavy, tired eyes began to fill with tears; Kristoff gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then stood up, walking reluctantly from the room to give the two some time. He didn't want to go, but he knew that doing so might help the pair's relationship, and that was important.

Mia whimpered slightly as her father went, feeling strangely even more vulnerable without him there - deep down, she still associated him with safety, even if she was terrified of him at the same time.

She looked back at her mother now, her young heart beating wildly at the close proximity, but she tried not to back away too much. Tenderly, she reached out and touched Anna's shoulder, dancing around nervously as the woman opened her bright blue eyes which so resembled hers quickly, looking excited. Mia hunched up a little when her mother's hand reached out slightly, and when her delicate fingers smoothed the young girl's hair back, she froze in fear; Anna looked a little upset as she pulled her hand away slowly, and then sneezed, looking suddenly more sickly now that she wasn't so happy. Mia looked at her mother inquisitively as the weak woman rolled over again, shivering, and she suddenly realised that the woman was just as helpless now as she.

Smiling a little, she tiptoed over to the older Princess, and sat on the floor next to her bed, curling up into a ball on the floor. She remained there for a few minutes, and then a draft began to blow in through the door - though she didn't feel the cold, it was annoying and slightly upsetting. Glancing around for a few seconds, she paused when she heard a distressing sound just above her - a quiet sobbing, and she instantly felt her heart throb, knowing that she was the one who had caused it.

Feeling scared, she began to tremble, but she couldn't just do nothing; standing, she reached up and pulled herself onto the bed, and felt Anna still in shock as she climbed next to her. In her chest, her heart was beating rapidly, frantic in her fear, but she tried to ignore it, reminding herself that her mother was in no state to hurt her now, and that she was being hurt by her own actions. Wincing slightly as she felt her turn over slightly, she nearly gave up, but, slowly, she managed to push herself to help the older Princess; though she remained on top of the covers, she quietly cuddled up with her and closed her eyes.

Anna sighed happily, but knew enough to not move. She smiled, despite her chill and how sickly she felt, and remained still; a few minutes passed, and Mia began to settle down, as her eyes fluttered shut. A few minutes more, and she was asleep, cuddled up with her mother for the first time in forever.

* * *

><p>The woman panted tiredly, groaning as she felt a headache coming on, and she collapsed on the bed with her hands on her forehead. The prince before her chuckled, and she sent him a dark scowl, her blue eyes flashing; he instantly silenced at her glare, but his face was still amused.<p>

"Oh, you think this is funny!" Ayla snapped harshly, feeling her anger bubbling up in her chest. "That was bloody difficult, I'll have you know! Sending out my magic without destroying the concealment charms took a great deal of concentration - you ought to try it some time!" Her voice was cold, full of frustration, fuelled by her burning head. "Ugh, I'm going to be stuck in bed for a week after this."

Hans looked a little put down at this comment, realising that if the woman was ill she wouldn't be able to 'spend time with him', so to speak. That was one thing that he liked Ayla: the fact that she didn't want a relationship, but was still readily available to pleasure him - so long as he pleasured her in return, of course. He'd settle for that.

"So, is it done?" He asked, his voice a little heavy with frustration at his previous realisation. Ayla nodded slowly, still breathing heavily, and her face paled as she began to feel nauseous.

"Yes," She said quietly, "I managed to get Queen Rapunzel to cut off her hair, but she put up a pretty strong fight - either way, it's done, and she won't be able to use her magic to help anyone any more. And, can I add-" She paused for a second as she felt an even stronger wave of nausea, and had to pause for a second for it to pass. "Ugh... Anyway, can I add that Princess Anna fell into a frozen lake this afternoon, too? Rapunzel couldn't heal her considering she had no powers any more - thought you'd like to hear that she's suffering too."

Hans grinned, and then noticed how sick Ayla looked. "That makes me feel chipper," He commented, "Hey, you should lie down. I'll get someone to get you some soup - to be frank, you look like you've been on a day trip to hell. You're a state."

Ayla scowled. "Oh, thank you for those kind words, your Highness," She said sarcastically, scowling. Hans chuckled as he left, not caring about her glare this time around, and Ayla sighed as another wave of nausea rolled over her. She groaned, and lay back against the pillow - if she'd known that using up so much magical energy would leave her feeling so ill, she'd never have agreed to do the job in the first place.

Ah well, what was done was done - and hopefully Hans would order her some chicken soup for her too. He was infuriating, but he could be bearable sometimes.

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><p><strong>Frozenfangirl: Just to confirm, chapters are dedicated to people who leave the best review (be it the funniest, cleverest, or simply most detailed review, or for people who review often.) To answer your question :D<strong>

**First, to say sorry - I would have gotten this updated last night, but I was watching children in need, and one of the girls really loved disney princesses, and she had all the dolls my sister has... i couldn't write after that, i was in tears for ages :"(**

**Anyway, thank you for the support last chapter - it helped me to write this chapter faster. Please keep on reviewing, I'd ****like to see everyone who reviewed last chapter again if possible, and some more - please? You can see that this chapter's up sooner - keep reviewing, and i'll keep writing quicker! **

**Thank you, I love you all (and especially my reviewers xD)**

**- SG**


	6. Chapter 4 - dedicated to CdrRMF

_**"So, is it done?" He asked, his voice a little heavy with frustration at his previous realisation. Ayla nodded slowly, still breathing heavily, and her face paled as she began to feel nauseous.**_

_**"Yes," She said quietly, "I managed to get Queen Rapunzel to cut off her hair, but she put up a pretty strong fight - either way, it's done, and she won't be able to use her magic to help anyone any more. And, can I add-" She paused for a second as she felt an even stronger wave of nausea, and had to pause for a second for it to pass. "Ugh... Anyway, can I add that Princess Anna fell into a frozen lake this afternoon, too? Rapunzel couldn't heal her considering she had no powers any more - thought you'd like to hear that she's suffering too."**_

_**Hans grinned, and then noticed how sick Ayla looked. "That makes me feel chipper," He commented, "Hey, you should lie down. I'll get someone to get you some soup - to be frank, you look like you've been on a day trip to hell. You're a state."**_

_**Ayla scowled. "Oh, thank you for those kind words, your Highness," She said sarcastically, scowling. Hans chuckled as he left, not caring about her glare this time around, and Ayla sighed as another wave of nausea rolled over her. She groaned, and lay back against the pillow - if she'd known that using up so much magical energy would leave her feeling so ill, she'd never have agreed to do the job in the first place.**_

_**Ah well, what was done was done - and hopefully Hans would order her some chicken soup for her too. He was infuriating, but he could be bearable sometimes.**_

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><p><em>April 16<em>_th_

Anna's heavy eyes opened slowly, and she blinked a few times, trying to get adjusted to the beams of bright morning light streaming in through her window. She groaned as she pushed herself up, yawning and stretching tiredly, as her tousled, crazy hair fell in front of her face, blocking her view and giving her some relief from the painful glare of the sun.

Through the corridors, she could hear the wailing of a hungry child - no doubt Fredrik had awoken by now and was awaiting his morning feed - and knew that it was time for her to get up. The young Prince seemed to have an internal alarm clock for feeding: every six hours he'd start to complain, beginning at two in the morning, and then at eight; a quick snack at noon, before lunch at two in the afternoon, and finally a long 'top-up' before bed, at seven pm. Anna was always able to count on her nephew to be on time, give or take twenty minutes either side, and this morning was no different.

Glancing at the clock, she groaned when she read that it was, indeed, eight sixteen. She wouldn't lie; she had wanted a lie in.

Forcing herself to get out of bed, something which was a feat in itself, she trudged over the her vanity and began to tame her wild hair, which was threatening to take over her head; however, despite it's valiant attempt to remain the master, the Princess eventually come out on top. Over the years, she'd learned how to remain in control of her hair; nonetheless, it still took her thirty minutes to get the comb through it without catching a knot.

By quarter to nine, she was dressed and ready to face the day. After examining her baby bump, which was becoming more and more prominent each day, she smiled and made her way to the door, and she had a nagging feeling that something was happening today, but she just couldn't remember what.

Opening the door, she instantly learned what it was that she'd forgotten: it was Easter! She had to hold back a laugh when she realised this revelation, shocked that she could forget about such an amazing celebration, one which she had been known to count down to months in advance in the past. Granted, this month she'd had other things on her mind, mainly the issue of how her baby would fare after her dip in the icy pond.

As soon as she'd recovered, even after the doctor's assurances that her baby seemed fine, she had insisted - much to her husband's relief, in fact - that they go to visit the trolls. Both knew that Bulda and Grand Pabbie were the best in situations like this, because of their extensive knowledge which beat the doctor's by far, so every other day since the event they'd been making a trip out to the valley, to check everything was still okay. Originally, their situation was looking like it could go either way, with the baby looking a little distressed. However, stubbornness seemed to run in the family; like Freddie, Anna's unborn child seemed to possess a certain determination to cling to life.

Smiling at the thought of her little fighter, she rushed over to the window to look out upon the grounds, where she knew her husband would be hiding chocolates for Mia to find, and she grinned excitedly when she thought of her daughter's face. She'd also gotten the kitchen staff to make turkish delights, too, which were also scattered around for the young girl to eat, as she knew how much of a soft spot the child shared with her aunt for the - at least in Anna's opinion - rather unpleasant confectionary. It was rare that she didn't like a sweet; it was just ironic that her most hated candy, was possibly her daughter's favourite.

Freddie had quietened down by now, probably being satiated at this point, and Anna sighed, wishing that she could go and visit her sister but soon deciding the better of it. Not sure of what to do, not hungry as of yet, she began to make her way down to the castle gardens to try to find her husband, hoping she'd be able to help him out before the search started.

A few minutes later, she managed to find Kristoff, accompanied by Rapunzel and Eugene, who were all helping out with the egg-hiding, and it didn't escape Anna's keen eyes that a small treat had been discretely slipped into the ex-thief's pocket; old habits die hard, after all. She raised her eyebrow pointedly at him when he looked her way and he grinned sheepishly; pulling out the miniature egg quickly, watching his wife carefully so that she didn't notice - not that he was really worried anyway - , he tossed it to her hastily and then turned away, as if nothing had happened. Anna had to stifle a giggle as she placed the tiny chocolate on a nearby bush, and then turned back to the group, before clearing her throat. Rapunzel spun around, not noticing before that her cousin was there, and then she smiled. Kristoff, too, looked up in surprise, and he grinned too.

"Morning!" Anna said in a bubbly voice, "How are we all today?"

Kristoff chuckled. "We're fine - Rapunzel here especially. I'm sure we've lost half of the eggs already because she's eaten them - the sweet tooth must run in the family, I'm guessing."

Anna giggled, and then turned to her cousin, who, indeed, had a little chocolate smeared around her mouth. "Honestly, 'Punzel, these are for the children!" She scolded, as she reached into her husband's basket and helped herself to a mini-egg of her own. "You've been a bad influence on Eugene here at any rate- he seems to have been collecting all of the eggs you've hidden for himself!"

The said thief-turned-Prince looked offended at this comment, and he covered his mouth with his hand, as if her comment had hurt him. "Anna!" He gasped, then turned to his wife, "You don't actually believe her, do you? She's lying - I only nicked one tiny little egg! Just one!" Kristoff chuckled at the man, and Rapunzel giggled, but her humour didn't stop her from giving him a sharp slap; in response, he winced slightly, and quickly muttered, 'Sorry, sorry' over and over until she stopped 'abusing him', as he would later come to claim.

A few seconds passed in silence as Anna took some sweets off of her husband to hide too, removing her cloak to carry them in, for the temperature was not nearly as harsh as she'd expected; though it had been cold the day before, but the chilly spell seemed to have passed now. Accepting the chocolates happily, she set about hiding the last few, when she noticed a small form coming around the side of the castle, and had to hide the secret stash behind her back, looking very suspicious as she whistled 'innocently', her foot brushing over the grass as if she were bored.

"Oh, hello, Sweetie," She said softly, trying to fein surprise, and completely failing- thankfully, though Mia did frown at her mother in confusion, she didn't say anything. She knew that the older Princess had very strange antics, and she was used to them after two years.

Over the past month, Mia had grown closer to her Mother again after her ordeal, but she was still very slightly wary in her aunt's company, but no more now than she was in her aunt and uncle's. She would flinch and step backwards if Anna moved too suddenly or came towards her, but she could think rationally now with her around, and was able to get over her initial, almost instinctive, fear fairly soon after it arose.

"What are you doing, Mama?" Mia asked sweetly, her young voice betraying only the tiniest amount of nervousness, which one would expect from her anyway. "What do you have?"

Anna blushed when her daughter accused her of hiding something from her, and she looked around nervously, smiling shyly. "Oh, nothing, nothing... she muttered, pulling her cloak to the front to show Mia, carefully keeping the chocolates concealed from view. "Come on, Sweetie - aren't you hungry? Do you want to go to breakfast? I can help you make some omelettes, if you want... Won't that be nice?"

Mia looked a little unsure, but after a few seconds of silence, she nodded her head slowly, and a small smile spread across her face, as she walked over to her Mother and, moving cautiously, slipped her hand into hers. She felt her breathing grow slightly more rapid and she could just hear the muffled beating of her heart, but she could deal with the worries now that she knew the truth - after the fateful day when Anna had gotten so ill, she had come to realise that her mother truly didn't want to hurt her, and that she was just as vulnerable to things as she, herself. Anna wasn't like Hans and Ayla - she wasn't a threat. She hadn't sent her to the caves, and in turn, nor had her father.

She didn't understand why she'd ended up there, what she had done to deserve such a fate, but she knew that it was not her parents' doing.

* * *

><p>Mia looked out of the window at the blue sky above, and she frowned in confusion. What was her father doing outside with Rapunzel and Eugene- it was a strange sight to behold, because it looked like they were simply rooting through the bushes. Strange people.<p>

"Mama?" She called, and Anna looked up as she finished her last bite of omelette and got up to look out of the window too. "Mama, what is Papa doing?"

Anna looked over to her husband, and her eyes widened slightly, panicking, before she realised that Kristoff and his companions had seemingly finished; sighing in relief, she smiled at her daughter gently. "I don't know, Mia." She said, taking the child's hand. "Let's go and see, hmm?"

Mia nodded slowly, flinching at her mother's touch but quickly calming down afterwards. Letting the woman lead her away, she noticed a certain skip in Anna's step and couldn't help but giggle at her antics, and quickly figured that something was up. She couldn't help but feel joyful too; her mother's happiness was catching, but she couldn't help but feel that she'd forgotten something, something good.

It didn't take her long to realise what it was. As her mother opened the great door to the garden, she gasped at the sight before her; colourful sweets decorated the entire garden, and she could see multiple large eggs, wrapped in brightly decorated wrappers. She squealed happily, the sight filling her with true happiness, such that she had not felt for a long time, and she let out a whoop of excitement when a massive white blur disappeared into the bushes nearby. A large, fluffy creature with a soft, fuzzy tail!

"Easter Bunny!" Mia yelled, realising what day it was, and she cried out with more enthusiasm than she had ever been since returning from the Southern Isles. She looked up at her mother with wide eyes, shining with excitement, asking permission silently as to whether she could explore the garden, and when she was given affirmation to do so, her mouth stretched into the widest grin possible.

"Thank you, Mama!" She cried happily, hugging her mother's leg excitedly before bouncing off, looking like a miniature version of Anna, just with blonde hair. The older princess smiled happily at her daughters new-found enthusiasm, and rushed after her quickly.

"Mama! Mama!" Mia yelled happily, and she was truly caught up in the celebration; this was what such festivities were all about, bringing families together as one. "I saw Easter Bunny, Mama! He runned into the bush!"

Anna giggled at her daughter. "Did he?" She gasped, playing along, "Do you know what the easter bunny leaves behind?"

Mia looked thoughtful, and then grinned when she recalled the sweets. "Chocolate eggs!" She cried, happily, and she was looking more and more like her old self. She almost seemed out of character to Anna now, who had come to recognise her daughter as a very quiet person - it was nice to see her opening up.

"Oh, what's this?" A deep voice sounded from behind them, and Anna and Mia spun to see Kristoff standing there, looking proudly around, accompanied by Eugene, Rapunzel, and Sven, whose coat looked a lot lighter than it normally did, as if it had been painted white... it wasn't hard to figure out the truth behind Mia's giant 'Easter Bunny', but luckily, the child didn't pick up on this. Still, Anna couldn't help but think how cute Sven would be with a bunny tail.

"Papa! Papa!" Mia cried out excitedly, surprising Kristoff that she was being so open with him. She'd come to trust Anna, but she seemed a little more wary of him still, and it was nice to see her forgetting her trauma for a while, and simply enjoying herself. "The Easter Bunny came, Papa! He bringed chocolate eggs! Yummy!"

"Really?" Kristoff asked in mock ignorance of the scene, "Aren't you lucky?"

Mia nodded excitedly and ran off into the castle gardens, quickly managing to gather an armful of candies and treats (and managing to get a suspicious amount around her mouth, too). She giggled happily as she dumped her collection on the floor and ran off again to get more, and Anna laughed happily as she rested on Kristoff's shoulder.

"This is nice," She whispered, smiling, and then a small tap came on her shoulder.

"Oooh-aaah!" A baby's young voice rang across the air, and Anna grinned as she turned around to see Freddie in her sister's arms. Reaching out her hands for him questioningly, she laughed when Elsa handed the baby over, and she instantly began to tickle and fuss over him. "Aaaah! Aaaaah! Aaaah!" The baby's shrieks of happiness were like a musical tune, so perfect and uplifting, and Anna's heart filled even more.

Elsa grinned at her sister. "You know, Anna..." She began, surveying the garden, "We haven't had an easter egg hunt since we were kids..."

Anna grinned, as did Rapunzel behind her, but then her face fell as she handed Freddie back to his mother, who in turn handed him to Odd. "We can't, Elsa... It's for Mia, not us, and we're all too old..."

Elsa and Rapunzel both looked crestfallen, and Anna couldn't keep up the act any longer at their tortured expressions; pushing her sister backwards playfully, she darted forward, yelling, "I bet I can find more than you!" The two Queens laughed at younger girl and quickly followed after, both cheering with glee as they did so.

"Oh, you Minx!" Elsa shouted, and she couldn't help but sending a beam of ice towards her sister's behind, making the girl jump in shock. "This is so on!"

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so another chapter's up :D This one took a little longer to write, and I was going to include more but I didn't have as much inspiration - less reviews can do that to a writer :(<strong>

**Ah well, please review, and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!**

**If you guys want something to do in the meantime, then try and find out what year the story's set in... There's a clue (remember, the date of Easter changes!)**

**See you soon!  
><strong>

**-SG**


	7. Chapter 5 - dedicated to TailsDoll13

_**Elsa grinned at her sister. "You know, Anna..." She began, surveying the garden, "We haven't had an easter egg hunt since we were kids..."**_

_**Anna grinned, as did Rapunzel behind her, but then her face fell as she handed Freddie back to his mother, who in turn handed him to Odd. "We can't, Elsa... It's for Mia, not us, and we're all too old..."**_

_**Elsa and Rapunzel both looked crestfallen, and Anna couldn't keep up the act any longer at their tortured expressions; pushing her sister backwards playfully, she darted forward, yelling, "I bet I can find more than you!" The two Queens laughed at younger girl and quickly followed after, both cheering with glee as they did so.**_

_**"Oh, you Minx!" Elsa shouted, and she couldn't help but sending a beam of ice towards her sister's behind, making the girl jump in shock. "This is so on!"**_

* * *

><p><em>May 24th<em>

"That's it, Sweetie!" Anna cheered warmly, watching as her daughter struggled to thaw the pile of soft, fluffy snow which she'd made. "Come on, you're so, so close!"

Mia scrunched up her face in concentration and she grunted quietly from the pressure of trying to control her powers completely. Her mind was aching at the effort she was putting in, and she began to hold her breath from the difficulty of the situation.

After a few more tense moments, Mia grunted quietly and fell on the floor, gasping for air, and panting from fatigue. She sighed in frustration, a little annoyed that she'd been unable to thaw the snow - again - and frowned, but her heart filled with joy when she stole a quick glance at her mother, who was beaming at her with a warmth and a happiness shining in her eyes that could have easily melted the snow before them, given the chance.

Sitting up slowly, feeling tired still, as if she'd just run through all the corridors, she smiled at Anna sheepishly, but remained silent, wondering what her mother's actions would be; she watched as the woman's hand disappeared behind her back, and Mia grinned, closing her eyes and opening her mouth expectantly.

A few seconds passed by, and then the child felt a small sweet be held in her mouth. The rich smell of the candy filled her nose as she bit down, accepting the treat gratefully, and the taste of rosewater soon filled her mouth, making her smile at the flavour which she so adored; Anna, in contrast, wrinkled her nose at the smell, detesting Turkish Delight, but she smiled at the girl anyway, glad that she was happy and making progress, if slowly.

After a few moments of savouring the candy, Mia opened her eyes slowly and smiled at her mother, sitting up a little straighter, ready to try again now that she was more refreshed. The sugar made her feel more energised, and she grinned confidently.

"I will try again, Mama," She said, informing the woman of her plans, and Anna smiled encouragingly.

"You can do it, Sweetie," She whispered again, leaning over the pile of snow and placing a soft, motherly kiss on Mia's forehead gently. The toddler flinched slightly, but no longer backed away at the contact, and instead felt her heart warm up with happiness. Nodding a little, she scrunched up her eyes in concentration again, and felt the pressure in her mind increase suddenly, almost paining her. She felt the temperature in the room rise a little, although the cold never bothered her, and she squinted one of her eyes open, nervously.

She gasped in happiness when she saw the sight before her eyes; the snow was finally thawing away, and she let out a squeal of excitement. With one last quiet grunt of effort, she collapsed on the floor again, and watched tiredly as the soft, fluffy material began to disappear. A few seconds passed, and then it was all over.

"Well done, Mia!" Anna cheered, and leaned forward with her arms open wide. Mia paused for a moment, considering and assessing the situation, and then she grinned happily, throwing herself into her Mother's arms. She sighed happily as she cuddled into Anna's chest, feeling safe and happy. Feeling like she actually belonged.

After a few minutes, Mia pushed away from her mother, and sat on the floor opposite, smiling at her sweetly with large, innocent eyes. Anna laughed softly at the girl, and sighed.

"You're a little rascal!" She teased, and reached behind her, pulling out a bowl full of sugary treats. Mia's eyes shone with happiness, and she quickly began to tuck into the sweets when her Mother placed them in front of her.

"Yum-yum!" She cried out excitedly, "Love you, Mama!"

Anna's eyes went wide with shock, and then she beamed at her daughter happily. She hadn't said that since before she'd gone missing, and those three words made the woman's heart ache with joy and relief. "Love you too, Sweetie."

Mia continued to munch her way through the bowl of sweets, eventually getting down to the last one, and she paused. Picking it up, she smiled and held it towards her mother. "Here, Mama. You try!"

Anna looked at the sweet, unconvinced, but she took it never-the-less, not wanting to hurt Mia's feelings by turning her offer down.

"Oh, ah, thank you..." She mumbled and, tentatively, she brought the sweet up to her mouth. Though the Turkish Delight didn't smell too bad, she knew better than to expect it to be pleasant; taking a small nibble on the edge, she cringed inwardly at the taste and chewed the small portion slowly, swallowing with difficulty. Feeling sickened by the taste, she smiled at her daughter forcibly, and then stood up. "You know... I think I'll save this for later."

Mia nodded happily, and stood up, rushing over to her mother and hugging her leg lovingly. "Thank you for help me, Mama!" She said sweetly, and then toddled out of the room cheerfully, feeling proud of herself for thawing the patch of snow, leaving her Mother in the room, watching with a smile on her face.

_Aww, _She thought fondly, as she began to leave the room too, carrying the now-empty bowl out with her, and quickly throwing the last Turkish Delight in the trash can.

* * *

><p>"Three!" Elsa's voice was clear and strong over the early morning bird-song. "Two!" She smiled as she watched her husband and brother in law lean forward slightly in anticipation, their mounts looking eager to go. "One!" The reindeer began to trot on the spot, ready to go, and Odd's stallion threw his head around in eagerness.<p>

"Go!"

The response was immediate - both animals jumped into action, galloping forward across the soft grass of the fields happily. Both sets of hooves sent dirt flying behind them as they tore up the dirt in their haste, leaping over the low brick walls which separated the different paddocks gracefully, and both riders out exhilarated yells of joy as they sped through the meadows.

Brandy neighed loudly in happiness, and he reached his neck over to Sven as he began to overtake him, nipping at the reindeer's flank. A loud squeal of surprise resounded through the air, and the following second two large cloven hooves kicked out at the chasing creature in frustration, but it was enough to slow him down; the fjord horse sped past, his black and white tail flicking his companion's face playfully as he whinnied at the top of his lungs, and left the two behind looking put-out.

"Come on, Bud!" Kristoff yelled, as he kicked his mount on, and Sven was more the happy to oblige; panting loudly, he galloped harder and caught up to his companion, using his antlers to push Brandy's rear, and send him off course, making the fjord horse slow down as he tried to get back on course. Sven chuffed happily, and with one final burst of speed shot off. Brandy snorted grumpily, and chased after closely, snapping at the reindeer's tail, despite Odd's attempts to stop him. Though a good rider, he still wasn't quite used to the fjord's stubbornness, and he wasn't nearly as strong as Kristoff - if Brandy was going to be a pain, there wasn't much he could do to fight him.

Elsa laughed as she watched the pair bomb around the field, shaking her head. _I guess I'd better go and get them before those animals kill each other, _She thought in amusement, and laughed. She loved her family.

* * *

><p>Ayla groaned as she lay on the bed grumpily, frustrated, her mind reeling with thoughts which she never thought that she'd have. She didn't understand how this could have happened, for she'd never been one to skip precautions, and she always made sure that everything was in order before anything happened...<p>

Darn it!

She groaned as she felt a fluttering in her stomach, and rolled over, burying her head in her pillow. She'd ignored the signs - hadn't believed they could be true - but there was no denying it now. The image she'd seen of the baby inside her plagued her mind, and made her squirm with discomfort.

No, no, no!

The sickness had been the first clue, but she had simply used her magic to stop the vomiting. Nothing to worry about there, she had told herself. Even when she began to get a bump, she simply smoothed her stomach off again with her powers - or at least gave the impression that it wasn't getting bigger, and she'd managed to get over that, too.

But she couldn't avoid it anymore.

Four months pregnant - it was a horrid thought, and she had no idea how she was going to tell Hans. She couldn't just get rid of the child; her magic would not let her kill anyone directly, and she'd certainly tried. But looking at the scan she'd made, it was certainly still there.

Very much there.

She groaned again as she felt her frustration begin to turn into anger, and she picked up the pillow behind her head and threw it against the opposite wall with as much force as she could muster, and she let out a yell of frustration; the wall opposite cracked quickly, and Ayla had to take a few deep breaths to calm down before she destroyed the whole room.

The door opened quickly and Hans stepped inside, looking a little worried - though he seemed to cold to truly like anyone, he did seem to have a tiny soft spot for the sorceress; she was like his female counterpart, and it was hard to hate someone so similar to himself, after all. Not to mention she was his partner - he had to tolerate her, whether he liked it or not.

"What happened?" He asked, glancing at the cracked wall, and the pillow laying beside it in confusion. "Are you okay?"

Ayla took a breath and sat up, smiling sweetly. "Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine," She said, her voice sickly but believable, and Hans nodded.

"Well, okay then." Said he, and he shrugged. "Just don't go burning the castle down."

Ayla nodded stiffly, and watched as he began to turn away, but she couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Wait!" She shouted, her voice going up a tone, "No, I am not okay! You know why! You know why!" The words were clear and sharp, and Hans almost flinched at their accusatory tone, as she glared at him. "It's you, it's all you!"

Hans' eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "What do you mean, Ayla?" He asked suspiciously, beginning to question her state of mind. She appeared, to him at least, to have suddenly gone insane when he turned his back upon her.

"I'm pregnant!" She shouted in response, and the was taken aback. He opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out, and Ayla's blue eyes continued to glare at him cruelly, coldly.

"W-What?" He finally managed to stutter out. The revelation had taken him by surprise, and not in a good way.

"I'm bloody pregnant, Hans!" She snapped back, and the pillow from across the room was suddenly sent hurtling in his direction. "It's your fault - get the hell out of here! Go away, _pretty boy_! I don't have time to deal with you at the moment!"

Hans was shocked, but he blinked a few times, trying to get over this information. "Oh, shit." He cursed under his breath, and then rushed out of the room as Ayla's pillow began to torment him, flying at his head repeatedly to get him to leave.

Finally, when he exited the room, he was allowed the chance to breathe, and he could just about make out a sound he'd rarely heard before: Ayla was... crying?

Hans groaned under his breath, running his hands through his auburn hair in distress. This wasn't part of the plan at all.

* * *

><p><strong>In response to a guest review by Cody, yes, I am begging for reviews, I guess, but not in a bad way. I put a lot of work into these stories and I like to get feedback - at the moment, I'm struggling to manage school life and homework (plus revision for my GCSEs which are coming up very soon and are starting to actually feel real now) - and the reviews help to keep my spirits lifted. They give me something to look forward to after doing work - like a reward, I guess. <strong>

**I write these stories for free, I don't ask much and I feel that a short sentence is not too much to ask in return. Not to mention I don't want this story to come to an abrupt halt half-way through, so I'm begging as much on my part as on yours: if you truly enjoy the story, then you'd leave reviews. Without reviews, I can't get the inspiration to write when I know that there's homework that really needs doing, or when I'm exhausted, and you'd get, perhaps, one update a month, if you're lucky? Not to mention it would be a very short chapter.**

**Sorry to have to rant, but I have to make this clear (although I've said it before). If other people will settle for simply the views, then fine, and don't get me wrong - I love it when a chapter gets more reads. But ****honestly, reading '100' is no where near as rewarding and inspiring as reading even a short review such as 'Nice!'.**

**I'm sure you understand that I'm not being a 'review whore', for lack of a better term, but I genuinely need the reviews. I enjoy writing, yes, but if I'm going to get just one comment out of it, then I could be spending my time more beneficially****.**

**(And one last thing, you've reviewed twice - once last chapter and once this chapter to have a go at me. Just to point that out when you say you'll stop reviewing... You didn't really start to be honest. And sorry that this sounds harsh)**

**To everyone else, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bet the last bit was a shock, eh! Anyway, please review, because you know you want to (and I don't want to have to write out the rant above again). I actually got a fair amount of reviews for this chapter, and I shouldn't say that because I always lose reviews when I do, but please keep it up :D**

**And sorry this one's late, I was going to update earlier but it was hard to finish the chapter - I fell off my bike on the way home from school when I tried to go up the curb (my bike skimmed the edge but didn't go up it) and now i've got massive cuts all over my hands which is making it hard to write. Not to mention I've got a bloody knee and I ripped my toenail off - the pain didn't help much (although I'm used to it by now).**

**-SG**


	8. Chapter 6 - for KLime and WildVirus

_**"W-What?" He finally managed to stutter out. The revelation had taken him by surprise, and not in a good way.**_

_**"I'm bloody pregnant, Hans!" She snapped back, and the pillow from across the room was suddenly sent hurtling in his direction. "It's your fault - get the hell out of here! Go away, pretty boy! I don't have time to deal with you at the moment!"**_

_**Hans was shocked, but he blinked a few times, trying to get over this information. "Oh, shit." He cursed under his breath, and then rushed out of the room as Ayla's pillow began to torment him, flying at his head repeatedly to get him to leave.**_

_**Finally, when he exited the room, he was allowed the chance to breathe, and he could just about make out a sound he'd rarely heard before: Ayla was... crying?**_

_**Hans groaned under his breath, running his hands through his auburn hair in distress. This wasn't part of the plan at all.**_

* * *

><p><em>19th June<em>

"So, what now?" Hans said, his voice emotionless, almost cold, and Ayla glared at him in frustration. This was his fault, after all, even if it was still her child too, and Hans' eyes narrowed at her in response.

"Well, I guess I haven't got much choice." She snapped harshly, feeling her anger levels rise rapidly; perhaps the new pregnancy symptoms had a bit of an impact in her current emotions, but overall, her frustration stemmed mainly from her own unhappiness. She wasn't having mood swings, that was for sure- in fact, she'd been consistently grouchy and irritable for the past month. She'd point blank refused to talk to Hans in that time, who was beginning to feel restless too, for other reasons, and he'd nearly threatened to kick her out of the castle after the first few weeks; he quickly changed his mind when Ayla summoned forth a large boot to kick him around the castle all day. To say he had a bruise on the back of his leg was an understatement - a completely different coloured leg might have been more accurate.

"Just get rid of it!" Hans growled back, glaring at her, and Ayla scowled at him, as if he thought her stupid.

"You don't think I've already tried that! I've tried to get rid of this... _parasite_, but nothing works! I can't use my magic to get rid of it, and even traditional methods don't seem to work- the thing won't budge!"

Hans snarled in frustration at her heated remark. "Well, we'll have to make the best of the situation." He said, his voice cold, but he tried to contain his built up irritation. "Perhaps the child can be useful in our plans- still, though, your reputation will be ruined, and so would mine if anyone knew."

Ayla frowned, looking put-off that Hans had been unable to think of any solution other than to simply deal with it; she didn't want a child, after all, little brats that they all were. She remained silent, her face held in a contemplative, and rather displeased, scowl. "That's not so hard," She said, "I can cover up my stomach, just can't get rid of it. We can say one of the guards found the thing, which won't be so bad. If you 'take it in'," She made quotation marks with her fingers at this comment, "Then it'll help your appearance. People might think you're a decent man, and they'll support you. Whether it's true or not is another matter, but you know what they say: Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it."_  
><em>

Hans frowned. "Comparing me to a serpent's low, Ayla." He said, sharply, "I'm not that bad - a little manipulative, perhaps, but not downright evil."

Ayla glared at him. "I'm thinking otherwise at the moment," She said under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear, "After this whole situation."

Hans looked affronted. "It wasn't like you didn't consent to it." He commented, trying to keep his tone even. "In fact, if I do recall, you seemed to be rather pleasured, wouldn't you agree?"

Ayla's eyes flashed. "_Serpent_." She snapped, and her own voice was resembling a hiss, and she looked away from him. "Being pregnant is not my idea of a good time."

Hans frowned. "Just speed the whole thing up, then, like you did with Queen Elsa." He commented, rolling his eyes. "Get this all over with, and then I'll hire a nanny to take care of the child afterwards. We won't need to have anything to do with it."

Ayla looked back at him and frowned. "I'll have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't bury it alive." She said sharply, and Hans looked back at her with suspicious eyes.

"Don't tell me you want it now!" He accused, "Why would there be a problem if I disposed of it later on anyway!"

Ayla glared at him. "Well, sorry for instinct." She snapped back, and stood up quickly. "I don't want this parasite, but that doesn't beat the fact that I will still be its Mother, like it or not. Meaning I'm programmed, so to speak, to be protective, even if I'd much rather drop it off the cliff."

Hans chuckled darkly. "That would solve the problem," He agreed, and Ayla's eyes flashed angrily at him; raising his hands quickly in submission, knowing how dangerous she could be, he watched her cautiously. "Geez, Woman, calm down!"

Ayla folded her arms in frustration. "Fine, fine!" She relented, "I'll speed up my pregnancy to make it last for a month, but no less. You saw how much it hurt Queen Elsa - I'd rather not be in pain, if I can help it!"

Hans, though still irritated by the whole topic, looked a little relieved. "Good," He nodded, "We'll get this over with, and then pass it off as a lost orphan. Like you say, at least it will make me more popular."

Ayla huffed at his lack of consideration for her own well-being, but nodded anyway. "Then it's settled." She said, "But this is still your fault, and believe me when I say you won't be getting any more alone time with me for a long, long time."

Hans looked let-down. Granted, there were countless other young women who could pleasure him, but there was something special about Ayla; she understood him - understood how his mind worked, and wouldn't judge him for it either, because she was exactly the same.

Still, though, she was also very dangerous - something which only heightened Hans' desire for her - and he knew not to push his luck too far, or he'd likely end up castrated. Sighing, he nodded and said, forcing the words to come out, "I guess I deserve that much," And though it was obvious he didn't truly believe his own words, Ayla's eyes softened very, very slightly.

* * *

><p>"Iduwangeup!" Anna slurred out, as she rolled over grumpily, unable to lie on her stomach comfortably any more, the bump now too large to allow for it; settling for resting on her side, she huffed and pulled the pillow over her head. "Cubalaer!"<p>

Kristoff chuckled at his wife, as he came over to the bed, attempting - without success - to get her out. "Come on, Fiesty-pants!" He teased, tickling her waist and making her wriggle and squirm and, avoiding numerous close-calls from her flailing hands, he managed to get his hands around her body to pull her up.

"Aww, Kristoff!" She groaned, trying to lie back down as if her life depended on it, and her husband chuckled again.

"Oh, come on, Anna! Mia's downstairs waiting for you with your birthday present! She's so excited to give it to you, don't let her miss out on that! And Elsa had Chef prepare you an extra special birthday breakfast - you can't have breakfast at lunchtime, after all, and he's been up for hours cooking!"

Anna didn't look convinced. "Five more minutes..." She slurred out, her eyelids drooping shut, but Kristoff wasn't having any of it; heaving her out of bed, he forced her to stand (though she threatened to crumple on the floor in a heap a few times) and began to lead the trance-like Princess to the door.

"You've already had a lie in- you slept right through the Freddie-alarm." The man commented, and despite her weariness, Anna giggled slightly, catching onto the reference to her nephew's morning wails of hunger. Glancing at the clock, she groaned.

"I only got fifteen minutes extra!" She whined in frustration, and Kristoff shook his head at his crazy wife.

"Almost thirty, actually," He commented in amusement, "Freddie woke up early today, so you would have been up at about ten to eight anyway. So think yourself lucky, hmm?"

Anna groaned loudly as she continued to make her way over to the door - she was too tired to be excited, hadn't quite woken up yet. She tried desperately to pull her brush through her thick, crazy hair - and failed miserably too, not trying hard enough to allow her to do more than smooth it out very slightly - and then pulled on one of her newly adjusted dresses, fixed to fit her expanding girth.

Glancing at herself in the mirror, she frowned, and then looked at her husband in concern.

"Kristoff, do I look fat?" She asked, her eyes tearing up, and her lower lip trembled as if she were about to cry, something her husband didn't miss out on; shaking his head quickly, he came over from the bed where he had been sitting patiently, waiting for her to finish, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can still wrap my arms around you," He said, and Anna giggled as she reached her head around to kiss the underside of his chin, "So I'd say you're good."

"That's cheating," Anna smiled softly, clearly amused now, not so sad as she had been before. "Your hands are on top of my stomach - I'm not fat there!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, and then spun his wife around gently. "You know what I think?" He said, and tickled her side gently, making her giggle. "I think you look just perfect as you are."

Anna blushed slightly, and she smiled, but then her face fell into a saddened expression. "Do you mean that once the baby's born, I won't be perfect anymore?" She whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes looked at her husband pleadingly; Kristoff swallowed- how would he get out of this one? "Will I have to stay pregnant forever to be good enough for you?"

"Anna, I-"

Anna suddenly burst out laughing, and the man frowned at her as she grinned at him. "I'm teasing, Kris!" She exclaimed, laughing and gently prodding him in the ribs, making him let out a quiet 'Oof!' in surprise. Anna grinned in amusement, finally re-entering the world of the living as she rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes. "Come on, Kris; let's go and find the others then. There's no point in staying here now that I'm awake anyway."

Kristoff nodded, looking triumphant. "Finally," He breathed out, but quietened down when his wife sent him a sharp glare, before skipping off down to the door and skidding through the halls.

Anna was definitely a free spirit, and he never wanted her to change. She was _his_ free spirit.

* * *

><p>Mia grinned as she clapped her hands together, before pausing and waiting expectantly, and getting no response. She sighed and tried again, patting her palms again, but as before, she received no response from the baby boy in front of her, and she huffed in frustration.<p>

"Clap, Freddie!" She said, demonstrating again, and the baby gurgled happily in front of her.

"Ca! Ca! Ca!" He cried, laughing as he fell backwards onto the sofa. Mia groaned in frustration, as she buried her head in her hands, and got up from her seat, bored now at her cousin's incapabilty to imitate her, or understand her wishes.

Odd chuckled as he watched his niece trying to play with his son, and decided it was time to intervene, before Mia froze the room in frustration - going by the way the temperature had dropped ever so slightly, he figured that wouldn't be very long. Clearing the distance between the two sofas in a few strides, he bent down to Mia's height - something he'd learned made her calmer, probably owing to the fact that there wasn't someone towering over her, making her feel insignificant - and smiled at her, muttering, "Hey, hey, Mia. Calm down."

The young princess frowned at her uncle, and shook her head. "He won't copy me," She said sadly, "I want him to copy me!" Her hands fell down by her sides, and the temperature fell even more. Though her powers were beautiful - not nearly as finely attuned as Elsa's were, but he would think that after all - they were also dangerous, similarly to his wife's.

Odd shook his head, as he reached out and gently placed his hand on his Niece's shoulder; Mia froze for a second in shock, her body going tense for a moment before she relaxed again. It seemed that even though she'd finally learned to trust her family again, she was still going to remain instinctively jumpy around them for quite a while yet.

"Okay, try again." Odd instructed softly, and Mia nodded slowly, although she looked unsure as to whether it would work this time around. Turning to face her baby cousin again, who was now amusing himself by sucking on his fist, she clapped slowly again, and sighed when nothing happened; she waited a few moments, giving the boy a chance to copy her, and then turned to her uncle, a look of frustrated failure upon her face.

"Try again, one more time," He encouraged, and Mia gave him a little frown, before giving in.

"Clap clap!" She said, as she clapped her hands one more time; at first, Freddie did nothing, and she let out a groan of frustration until Odd stepped in to help. Taking his son's tiny hands in his, he patted them together a few times to give the boy the idea, and then Freddie's mouth expanded into an open-mouthed, gummy grin. He let out a little laugh and began to clap his hands together wildly, before he fell forward onto his face when he got too excited and began to bounce around.

Odd grinned as he helped his son sit back up, and Mia giggled happily, feeling no longer frustrated, but triumphant. She leaned forward to her cousin and softly kissed him on the cheek - Freddie quickly squirmed away from the contact - and then grinned when she heard someone entering.

She was a little disappointed when she realised it was only her Aunt, but didn't complain. Even if she had been waiting for Anna, she still enjoyed the Queen's company.

"Hiya, Auntie Elsa!" Mia greeted, waving her arm in the woman's direction, and the Queen sent the gesture back with a smile.

"Okay, Mia, get your present ready - I just saw Mummy coming this way!" Elsa smiled as she watched her niece's face widen into a massive grin, as she looked around herself excitedly, trying to find where she'd placed her gift. Odd chuckled as he reached behind himself and managed to locate the little box; handing it to his niece, he laughed as she bounced around excitedly, although not before he picked up Freddie, in case he got hurt.

Mia squealed happily, and Elsa laughed at the girl's antics - though she was often such a nervous and quiet child, she was still her mother's daughter, no doubt about it.

A slight thud resounded around the room as Mia fell off of the sofa, and Elsa began to rush forward to help, but there was no need; the child got up onto her feet quickly, suddenly laughing as if she'd just done something hilarious, and she ran around the room like a mad-woman.

_Definitely_ her mother's daughter, at least when it suited her.

The sound of soft footsteps came from outside, and Elsa shushed the room, although there was very little doubt that Anna didn't know they were in here, what with all the noise from the toddler. Freddie seemed to pick up on the excitement too, and began to squirm in his Father's arms; Odd placed the baby on the floor gently before he could fall.

The door opened slowly, and there stood an excited looking Anna, with Kristoff behind her, looking rather amusing with her messed-up hair and slightly red face, as she breathed heavily, a little out of breath. She grinned at the group happily, and Elsa returned the expression.

"Ha-" She began to say, but she was cut off by a still-bouncing Mia, who came rocketing over to greet her Mother.

"Mama! Mama!" She cried, giggling happily as she held out her gift proudly. "Open it! Open it!"

Anna laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm and grinned. "Come in, you! Let me sit down first!"

Mia huffed, but didn't complain anymore; toddling after Anna quickly, she thrust thegift towards her, waiting expectantly for her to take it, which she did quickly before the child could get upset. Opening it. She felt her heart melt at the gift inside: on top of a large amount of tissue - presumably to stop the gift from being damaged - rested six snowflakes. Four large ones, and two smaller ones, all joined together in a circle.

"Did you make these, Sweetie?" Anna asked softly, and her heart filled with pride when Mia nodded, suddenly shy.

"Uh-hu," she muttered by way of confirmation. "One snowflake each. Big ones for grown ups, littler ones for me and Freddie."

Anna smiled warmly at her, but then frowned. "Won't it melt?" She asked, to no one in particular, and Elsa, who'd been sat next to Odd, across from her sister, shook her head, and then looked to Kristoff to explain.

"Nope. I got Grand Pabbie to make them permanently below-zero temperatures, so you're good."

Anna grinned, and then reached over to her daughter, pecking her on the forehead. "Thank you, Sweetheart."

* * *

><p>Anna sighed as she climbed into bed, snuggling under the covers and sighing contentedly. She'd had a great day: from all the gifts she'd received from her family (a new wedding ring from Kristoff which she adored, considering she'd lost the first; a small, carved wooden bouquet of flowers from Odd which he'd been working on for a few weeks; a large chocolate cake from Ida, for the woman held a certain soft spot for the bubbly princess; and a gorgeous new gown from her sister, which she had hinted would be of use later on. Indeed it was, when Anna had entered the ballroom innocently to find a surprise party which had been thrown for the kingdom in her honour (after stumbling upon the preparations two hours early, she had to practice being shocked all afternoon to stop anyone from knowing that she'd found out).<p>

"Thank you for today, Kris," Anna commented, as her husband climbed into bed beside her, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome, for the fifth time." He paused for a second, "Or is it the sixth?"

Anna laughed as she reached over and kissed his cheek, then lay down again and closed her eyes; she relaxed for a few seconds, and then let out a quiet gasp of shock.

Kristoff was on alert instantly. "Anna, Anna, what's wrong?"

"The baby..." She gasped, and her husband looked panicked before she grabbed his hand. "No, no, not bad - the baby kicked!"

Kristoff quickly calmed down, and he looked a little nervous as Anna placed his hand on her rounded stomach; a few seconds passed by, and then he felt a little flutter below his palm. He turned to face Anna, and both grinned excitedly.

"I love you, Kris." She said, smiling, and her husband nodded.

"Love you too, Fiestypants."

* * *

><p><strong>First of all, can I say sorry for how long it has taken me to post this chapter? I've been swamped with work, I've got controlled assessments every day of this week (fun times...) and on top of other homework, trying to find recipes for my food tech, etc, I've had virtually no time off. I didn't want to post half of a chapter, so... yeah.<strong>

**Anyway, this was a bit longer than normal, so I hope that helps. I can't lie- it's becoming difficult to think of things to write about when I don't actually have a plot. So any suggestions for chapter are appreciated- of course, there are still Ayla and Rapunzel who will be having kids soon, but I'll probably be doing only a little section on that, not a full chapter. Maybe two one-hundred words chapters?**

**Sorry again,**

**-SG**


	9. Chapter 7 part I - for Pabulover123

_**"Thank you for today, Kris," Anna commented, as her husband climbed into bed beside her, and he rolled his eyes.**_

_**"You're welcome, for the fifth time." He paused for a second, "Or is it the sixth?"**_

_**Anna laughed as she reached over and kissed his cheek, then lay down again and closed her eyes; she relaxed for a few seconds, and then let out a quiet gasp of shock.**_

_**Kristoff was on alert instantly. "Anna, Anna, what's wrong?"**_

_**"The baby..." She gasped, and her husband looked panicked before she grabbed his hand. "No, no, not bad - the baby kicked!"**_

_**Kristoff quickly calmed down, and he looked a little nervous as Anna placed his hand on her rounded stomach; a few seconds passed by, and then he felt a little flutter below his palm. He turned to face Anna, and both grinned excitedly.**_

_**"I love you, Kris." She said, smiling, and her husband nodded.**_

_**"Love you too, Fiestypants."**_

* * *

><p><em>July 22nd<em>

Ayla groaned in pain as she clutched her stomach, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she panted a little. She tried desperately to relieve the agonising strain with her magic, but it was too intense, and left her feeling too weak to manage the spell; she'd been able to put up a charm around her room to stop anyone from hearing any noise she may have made, and she'd locked the door magically, too, before her labour got too strong. Now, however, she was much too far through to manage.

A small scream tore from her lips as one especially intense contraction hit, and she pushed down as hard as she could; panting in pain, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she clenched the sheets below her and let out a blood-curdling scream as she gave one final, massive effort, and then she collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily and aching all over.

A loud wail resounded around the room, and Ayla groaned again, feeling both a deep need to pick up the newborn, and a deep hatred of it too. She huffed, and lay still, refusing to move until she felt a little less worn out so that she could use magic, and the baby continued to cry loudly, almost driving its unwilling Mother into madness. Sticking her fingers in her ears in frustration, she lay there for a few more minutes as the baby began to scream, and then she slowly pushed herself up, grumbling in frustration as she winced in pain, and - first using her slowly recovering magic to relieve this discomfort - she used the energy she had left to muffle her hearing. Though not completely silent, the child's deafening wails were now just a slight ringing in her ears, and she sighed.

As she sat a little straighter, the previous agony now just an ache, she quickly used her magic to clean off the baby, and then picked it up in disgust, placing it on her breast to settle the creature. The child latched on quickly, and Ayla's eyes widened in surprise at the unpleasant feeling; she managed to put up with it for a minute, and then pushed the child off roughly, disgusted that she was being milked like a cow.

The thought made her shudder, and as the baby's cries began again, she groaned. Some deep down part of her was reaching out to the newborn, desperate to calm it, but her general revulsion for the creature stopped her from feeling all that sympathetic. She really didn't like children, especially now that she had one of her own, but at least this one could be raised to help the cause.

She sighed in relief when she felt the nagging ache disappear as she recovered enough, and using her magic, she quickly silenced the child, feeling relieved when she stopped hearing the screams. The baby's face was still contorted and tears were still streaming down its cheeks, but no sound came out.

Standing up tiredly, Ayla frowned at the bloody sheets of the bed, and quickly disappeared the stains, hiding the evidence. She struggled to shrink her swollen stomach back to it's previous size and shape, healing the stretch marks and sighing when she realised she didn't have to go to the effort every hour or so to ensure that the obvious signs of her condition were kept hidden - though she couldn't get rid of her swollen stomach or breasts during the very short pregnancy, she could conceal them, and make everyone saw her as a normal woman, not a mother-to-be. Now that the pregnancy was over, however, her magic was working again, and she had free reign over how to deal with the situation.

She felt a little strain on her mind as the baby squirmed more, and little peeps of noise began to be heard from it, and Ayla frowned; maybe she wasn't quite as strong again yet as she had thought. Huffing, she made her way to the edge of the room where the maid always left a basket for laundry, and picked it up quickly; returning back to the bed, she placed the baby - a boy, she noticed - on top of the clothes, and covered the squirming thing with some dirty laundry, hoping it would stop wriggling soon. Using a little of her magic to try and immobilise him, she picked up the basket and made her way outside of the room, walking a little stiffly.

A few servants and maids looked at her oddly as she moved through the corridors carrying her own laundry, but she simply smiled at them, trying to cover up the awkwardness of the situation. She had to rush past the thin, tired-looking Queen as she watched the woman staring at her suspiciously, wondering what was up, and she tried to put on a convincing grin, not doing very well.

Hurrying to Hans' bedroom, she knocked urgently, and when the Prince opened the door to see her there, he instantly knew what was going on (and he did not look best pleased about it either). Frowning, he nodded gravely and took the basket, taking it over to the corner of his room, where a large chest of drawers was pressed up against the wall. Hans grunted as he got a grip on the heavy wooden cabinet and pulled, the weighty object refusing to move much, and Ayla had to give him a little help with her magic for him to succeed.

With a gap of about half a metre between the chest of drawers and the wall, a small, dark tunnel could now be seen, which the two people knew would end up outside, near the front gates of the castle; just beyond, in fact. From there, it would be possible to dump the child outside until Hans would 'stumble across it' and take it in.

Pulling the dirty laundry off of his new son, - it was strange to think he'd fathered a child, kind of terrifying and unpleasant too - he picked up the un-clothed, silently screaming baby and placed it in a small box, before carrying it to the tunnel. Nodding to Ayla, he turned and began to creep down through the small hole.

Hans frowned as he made his way through the small tunnels, and he winced slightly as the walls scraped against his shoulders, the sharp rocks grating away at his skin. His son squirmed in the box and a small, quiet scream managed to break Ayla's spell slightly, and the Prince growled in frustration as he tried to ignore the boy, squeezing through the passages. He hadn't used these tunnels since he'd been a boy, and now that he was a grown man, it was a struggle.

After what felt like years, Hans finally smelt the unmistakeable aroma of fresh air, and he breathed it in deeply, the stale air of the passage choking his lungs; creeping out of the tunnel stealthily, he snuck around the edge of the castle walls, and was amazed to find no people blocking his way - no doubt Ayla had used her magic to clear the path for him, as it would do no good for him to be found smuggling a newborn baby and would destroy their plans.

Softly placing the child down upon the grass outside the castle's gates, Hans quickly backed away, trying to ignore the child's screams which were getting louder now, as the boy broke through his Mother's silencing spell. Hurrying back to the tunnel, which was hidden by sharp thorns and vines, he crept back inside before he could be seen and climbed back through the passage, up to his own chamber, where Ayla had returned now, and was waiting for him. He nodded at her when he returned, and felt the tiniest bit of disgust at her when he saw the slight look of yearning in her eyes as she looked past him at the tunnel when he closed it off again.

"Don't look like that," He accused, knowing exactly what she wanted. Though she still displayed her usual hard expression, her eyes were slightly softer than normal, and the frown that she often kept was slightly less severe. "You can go and get him now. And remove that silencing charm too, or people will be suspicious."

Ayla huffed. "Oh, forgive me," She snapped sarcastically, as she waved her hand to remove the spell from her son. "Let's go and get the boy, and then I can stop feeling this ridiculous regret."

Hans did not look impressed as he glared at her, but didn't say anything as he headed to the door. "Fine," He said, "Let's get this over with, and then we can get one of the maids to raise him. Sound good?"

Though she felt like her son should have been her responsibility, Ayla also felt a great sense of relief as she nodded in agreement, happy to have as little to do with the baby as possible. He wasn't her son, after all - he was a newborn baby that had been abandoned at the castle's gate by some unknown woman, and it was hardly a lie; aside from Hans, no one knew that Ayla had been pregnant in the first place, and thus, no one could have any suspicions. He wasn't her son; she was not the sort of person who could be a Mother.

He was _not_ her child. And yet she still felt a tiny bit of compassion for him.

Ayla felt sickened by her sudden compassion; she was not the sort of person who thought that way. She never had been, and never would be... So why was she being so sappy?

Huffing, she followed Hans out of the room and down to the gates, where they were to stumble across the child as they left to go for a walk. Just a few more minutes, and then she could forget about all of this; she'd already dried up her milk using magic - a thought that made her shudder for the second time that day - so she couldn't care for him anyway, and she didn't have time to, nor could she risk becoming too Motherly over him, because then she'd probably lose her less-sensitive side, and to be weak would be her downfall.

That night, as she lay in bed, she groaned at the day's events. The boy - whom she had decided to name Seth, after the Egyptian god of chaos and war - was now in the care of one of the older maids, who had recently had a child of her own, and as such could be a wet nurse for him, but no more. Ayla had refused to allow him to be raised as the slightly older child's sibling, still feeling slightly responsible for the little pest, and Hans had reluctantly backed this up, claiming that he would take the boy in 'as his own', because he needed a way to make up for his 'wrong-doings in the past concerning Arendelle', which he claimed had been the result of foolish impulses.

The Kingdom, with a little encouragement from Ayla, had bought this story, of course, although most of them still felt anger towards their now-rival Kingdom, both for the death of one of their Princes almost three years ago, and for attacking them. The people knew that Elsa had come to get Princess Mia back, but they still believed that Hans had rescued the child, and that the Arendelle royals were simply a cruel and sadistic family who had been torturing her, not the opposite way around.

Ayla sighed as she buried her head in her pillow. She didn't want to be concerned about Seth, but the truth was, he was still her son, and she couldn't help but feeling slightly nervous about his well-being. Part of her hated his existence, and the other, much smaller part just wanted to hold him, but that couldn't happen. He'd be raised knowing that he'd been 'abandoned' by his parents and that Hans and Ayla had taken him in, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Besides, it was for the best. She'd get over this pathetic weakness soon, she promised herself, and then if anything did happen to the boy, then it wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't her son, she had to remember that; he was just a child who she had carried for a few months, and now, she didn't need to worry about him anymore.

Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes and, using her magic, calmed down her over-worked, frantic mind, and soon, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>First, to KLime, thanks for the review, I like those ideas! And sorry if the 'returning to the land of the living' bit was too morbid... I apologise, I don't know if it's just a British thing, but it's a saying for waking up over here. So, sorry again xD<strong>

**Next, to everyone else, I hope you enjoyed this chapter - it's part one of chapter seven, part two will be a very short on based on Rapunzel's baby (see if you can spot the differences between the two) and then part three will be a scene with the Arendelles! :D**

**See you then,**

**-SG**


	10. Chapter 7 part II - for Pabulover123

**Ayla sighed as she buried her head in her pillow. She didn't want to be concerned about Seth, but the truth was, he was still her son, and she couldn't help but feeling slightly nervous about his well-being. Part of her hated his existence, and the other, much smaller part just wanted to hold him, but that couldn't happen. He'd be raised knowing that he'd been 'abandoned' by his parents and that Hans and Ayla had taken him in, but there was nothing she could do about it now.**

**Besides, it was for the best. She'd get over this pathetic weakness soon, she promised herself, and then if anything did happen to the boy, then it wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't her son, she had to remember that; he was just a child who she had carried for a few months, and now, she didn't need to worry about him anymore.**

**Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes and, using her magic, calmed down her over-worked, frantic mind, and soon, she drifted off into a deep sleep.**

* * *

><p><em>July 25th<em>

"What do you think it will be, a girl or a boy?" Eugene asked quickly, his rushed words blending together in his nervousness. "I think it'll be a girl, definitely a girl, don't know why, just seems right, like one of those things you simply can't explain but you just _know_ it..." The man took a deep breath in after rattling off his whole short speech in a single breath, and then continued, not missing a beat. ''I mean, it doesn't matter, of course, a boy or a girl's fine, I really don't care, a girl would be nice and a boy would be nice, both would be nice, I just think it's a girl, I just have a feeling it's a girl!"

Rapunzel groaned in pain as she squeezed her husband's hand tightly, and she spoke through gritted teeth, "Shush!", and then she screamed, the pain making her vision blurry, and she could vaguely hear the doctor telling her, "Just a little more!" Eugene, who was stood next to her faithfully, hadn't listened to her pleas for him to stop, and was rattling off an incomprehensible selection of words in his anxiety, although it wasn't like he was being torn apart - at this current moment, Rapunzel had no sympathy for his nerves.

With a final moan, the Queen's pained sounds were replaced by that of a newborn baby, and she let out a sigh of relief. Eugene's babbling died out, to be replaced by an excited enthusiasm as he rushed to see his new son or daughter, and when he saw the child, he smiled warmly, and beamed at his exhausted wife, who lay in the bed looking defeated. He returned faithfully to her side a second later, and then watched as her face morphed into a smile, though a very fatigued one.

"Congratulations, your Highness," The doctor said, as he pulled off a pair of gloves and picked up his bag, "You've got a beautiful baby girl."

Rapunzel let out a quiet giggle, and Eugene looked thrilled as he said, "I told you so!" happily.

"I never doubted you," The Queen replied, and her husband laughed, before looking at the baby girl again. "So, what should we call her?"

Rapunzel frowned for a second as she watched the baby girl wriggling, and then smiled. "How about Eva?" She suggested, and though Eugene looked as if he were about to to suggest something else, he quickly silenced himself when he noticed how worn out the woman looked, especially when the baby wriggled and hit a sore spot, making her wince.

"Eva's fine," Eugene agreed, and then he grinned. "Little Princess Eva."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this was just a very short chapter, I know, but I thought I'd stick it in, because I'm not sure how happy you guys would be if I just randomly threw in the fact that Rapunzel had had her daughter. <strong>

**Anyway, I wasn't sure on the name.. it means life, which I thought was a nice concept, so... yeah xD**

**Also, I was a bit sad last chapter; although I only got about half of the views as normal - I'm guessing people either really hated the chapter before and didn't want to read, or just didn't get around to it - I got virtually no reviews. I haven't been demanding reviews, but I still appreciate them, so please help me out here. **

**Well, I guess that's all. There will probably only be a few more chapters for this little story, before I start FP3. I'm hoping to be finished by the year anniversary, although I might be a little bit late.**

**-SG**


	11. Chapter 7 part III - for blackkngth

_**Rapunzel frowned for a second as she watched the baby girl wriggling, and then smiled. "How about Eva?" She suggested, and though Eugene looked as if he were about to to suggest something else, he quickly silenced himself when he noticed how worn out the woman looked, especially when the baby wriggled and hit a sore spot, making her wince.**_

_**"Eva's fine," Eugene agreed, and then he grinned. "Little Princess Eva."**_

* * *

><p><em>July 25th<em>

"Hey, Mia..." Anna called cheekily to her daughter who, at present, was sitting in a plush armchair in the opposite corner of the castle's library. The scene was amusing to say the least; it looked as if the seat would soon end up engulfing the young girl, who looked so small in contrast to the oversized couch. She looked up slowly, her bright blue eyes watching her Mother carefully for a second, before she relaxed and slouched a little; she knew she shouldn't, for she was a Princess, but none of her family ever scolded her for it, and in her eyes, if it was not a strict rule then it obviously wasn't all that important. She placed down the picture book she'd been reading, a gift her Uncle had given her for her birthday, having made it himself, and smiled at her Mother warmly.

"Mama?" She said simply, waiting for a response, and Anna grinned happily, beckoning for her daughter to come over excitedly; Mia looked at her with a frown, but got up without complaint, and slowly wandered over to her. She waited for a few seconds for her Mother to move, and then trailed after her willingly, wondering where she was being led. Having to jog a little to keep up with the older princess, her questions were soon answered; as she was taken out into the large castle courtyard, where a large box, wrapped in pink paper with a little purple bow.

Mia smiled happily as her Mother nodded for her to come over, and she quickly scurried over, eyeing the gift skeptically, as if she didn't feel that she was deserving of such an item; though she had regained most of her trust for her family, she still had difficulties feeling truly appreciated sometimes. After the way she'd been treated, it was hardly a shock, though, and she winced slightly as her old nightmare flashed in her vision; a bright pair of green eyes, piercing into her mind, and a similar pair of blue ones, glinting coldly.

"Mia?" Her Mother's voice brought the young girl out of her contemplations, and she smiled sheepishly at her, trying to look like nothing was wrong. Anna didn't look completely convinced, but she let it pass, as she grinned warmly and urged her daughter to open the gift.

Slowly, Mia inched towards the present set out for her, and frowned as she placed her palm upon the wrappings, not knowing what to expect. Her heart ached as she felt a pang of unworthiness, but before she could descend into greater doubtfulness, she grabbed the paper and pulled. The wrapping came off in one go, and the young toddler frowned at the large cardboard box before her. She looked at her mother helplessly, unable to open it herself, and Anna came over quickly to aid the girl.

Mia watched with large eyes, shining with excitement as she felt herself being picked up to look inside the box, and she gasped when she saw the gift; before her eyes, a small, baby pink bike was sat, appearing to sparkle in the bright morning sunlight.

"Do you like it?" Anna asked softly, and Mia nodded her head happily, as she struggled to get down, so that the bike could be gotten out. She'd always wanted to learn to cycle, but she'd never been allowed before - she was glad that she was old enough now.

She watched quietly as Anna lifted her newest possession out of it's box, and placed it before her gently, beaming warmly; it was not like the customary bicycle of the time, but was a more modern - and significantly more expensive - model, one which resembled the one she'd owned as a young girl (but now with in-built brakes, for after falling down the stairs one too many times, Anna had learned that they really were necessary). The frame, normally just black or silver, had been painted with the light pink coating to appeal more to a young girl, and it had to be made specially as well, to suit the toddler's size. Mia had always been a small child, and her quiet and timid nature, at least to those who weren't especially close to her, made her seem even more dainty.

"Thank you, Mama," Mia said softly, as she reached out for the bike, and Anna helped her up onto the seat, holding onto her tightly, knowing that she'd fall over if she wasn't supported, not used to the feel of being on a bicycle. Though her balance was good as a result of her bareback riding on Lysse, she was still a new cycler, and would need practice before she could be left on her own.

She began to pedal before her Mother was even ready, a new sense of adventure and exhilaration, an almost reckless feeling of courage, pumping through her veins, drawn up from a secret place in her chest which had been closed up and forgotten; a need for excitement which had undoubtedly been a result of her Mother's genes, but in much lesser quantities.

She let out a little laugh of excitement as she pedalled, not fast, but still going, and she began to get more and more confident. She pushed the bike on with more and more courage, feeling her face widen into a grin as she began to go faster, and she was ignorant to her Mother's struggles behind her. Indeed, Anna - who had been caught off guard when her daughter had taken off suddenly - was having difficulty keeping hold of her daughter, knowing that if she didn't, Mia would fall, and could be hurt.

The youngest princess giggled happily, and she loosened her grip on the handlebars as she became more relaxed on the bike; Anna, feeling the sudden loss of control, gasped and tried to get a better grip on her daughter's bike to keep her stable, but without success as Mia went faster as she hit a slight slope. By now, the young girl was also starting to get a bit nervous, as her giggles quietened, and she tightened her grip on the handlebars again, starting to whimper as she went faster.

Anna's hand slipped, and Mia was now on her own; she whimpered, and then let out a scream as she began to speed up even more, and she began to cry a little too.

"Steer, Mia, steer!" Anna cried, and she ran after her as fast as she could, "Use your brakes!" But the girl was frozen with fear, and couldn't move; as the floor began to get icy, she only went faster, and was heading towards the wall of the courtyard with increasing speed as she skidded about on the slippery floor, and it was a miracle she was still on her bike.

"Mama! Help!" She cried, and Anna's eyes widened, as she continued to run after her at top speed, nearly falling over too many times to count.

"Anna!" A frantic voice called from behind, and the Princess glanced to see her sister running after her. "Hold out your hands, Anna!" She commanded, and though she did not stop, she followed Elsa's instructions, gasping slightly as she felt a burst of icy magic soak through her palm, into her veins. Her body instantly chilled as her blood received the wintry powers, and then she pointed her hand towards her daughter.

"Mia!" She yelled in panic as she saw the bike's tire hit an especially slippery patch of ice. The next few seconds passed in a blur, as she acted on instinct, and the blast of magic was sent in her daughter's direction, materialising as a pile of soft snow to cushion her land. She hurried over as Mia landed in the powder with a cry, mainly from fear and shock than pain, and quickly scooped her up, her heart pounding in her chest loudly in fear.

Meanwhile, Elsa looked on with wide eyes, recalling a similar incident many, many years before, when she had done exactly as her sister had: trying to save the one she loved from falling. Thankfully, Anna had a better shot than she had, it would seem; after all, Mia hadn't ended up with a frozen head.

Elsa sighed quietly to herself, as she followed after Anna to help her. That day had been horrible; she wished she could just forget, but in a strange way, she didn't want to forget it all either. It hurt her that she'd abandoned her sister, but now that they were reunited, she found the tiniest bit of comfort in her old pain as well. At least by remembering those dark, lonely years that she, herself, had experience, she felt a little better about leaving her sister alone - at least Anna hadn't been the only one who had been hurt.

After all, it was Elsa's fault she grew up without a sister, and as such, she had to be punished for making the young girl live that way; the memories served as a painful reminder of what she'd done, which made her feel as if she'd been penalised for her actions. And knowing that she hadn't gotten away with hurting her sister so much was actually reassuring.

She smiled a little awkwardly at her sister when she caught up, and Mia, still looking a little shocked, gave a small grin at her, while Anna looked like she could cry; pulling her sister into a bone crushing hug, the young girl trapped in the middle.

"Thank you, Elsa," she said, her voice high-pitched and sounding as if she could burst into tears at any moment. "I don't want to think about how hurt Mia would have been if you hadn't given me some magic."

The Queen sighed slightly as she settled into the hug, and smiled. "You're welcome, Anna," She whispered, softly. Meanwhile, her mind was whirling as she continued to recall her pathetic excuse for a childhood.

_Don't worry, Anna, _She thought, just as she had all those years ago, the night when she'd been separated from her baby sister. _I won't let anyone hurt you again._

* * *

><p><strong>In the words of Rapunzel, "<em>I'm a despicable human being!<em>" I'm sorry for leaving this update for so long; I'd say that life's been super busy, and that I broke my ankle and was in hospital for three days, and that my pony has been especially grumpy and has destroyed all the fences around the yard, and that I also went to Spain to visit my long-lost-family and had no internet. But frankly, that would be a lie - I've just been lazy (although the pony has been up to his usual tricks, destroying everything in his path. Don't you love animals (although to be honest, I do love him)?)**

**So, yeah, sorry for being lazy. I'm hoping to get the last chapter up on the 18th of December, as that's the one-year-anniversary of the story, and I thought it was a nice idea. So, yeah, hopefully I'll see you then, and thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter - I don't think I'd have been able to update before the new year without the support!**

**See you!**

**-SG**


	12. Chapter 8 - dedicated to Pabulover123

_**"Thank you, Elsa," she said, her voice high-pitched and sounding as if she could burst into tears at any moment. "I don't want to think about how hurt Mia would have been if you hadn't given me some magic."**_

_**The Queen sighed slightly as she settled into the hug, and smiled. "You're welcome, Anna," She whispered, softly. Meanwhile, her mind was whirling as she continued to recall her pathetic excuse for a childhood.**_

_**Don't worry, Anna, She thought, just as she had all those years ago, the night when she'd been separated from her baby sister. I won't let anyone hurt you again.**_

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><p><em>August 6th<em>

"Come on, Kristoff! Please, just let me go outside!" Anna complained loudly, as she groaned in boredom and buried her head in the feather pillow below her. "This is exactly what happened when I was pregnant with Mia - I say once, just _once_, that I feel a tiny, tiny bit weak, and then the Doctor shuts me up in here all day!" She let out an audible sigh, and pushed herself up into a sitting position on the bed, glancing at the window longingly. It was a typical autumn day, with a crisp, light blue sky where gentle white clouds were drifting across, and the forest in the distance was painted with beautiful shades of red and orange. A few stray leaves drifted about on the breeze, and they called out to the bedridden Princess.

"Anna, you know what the Doctor said - it's too dangerous!" Kristoff commented, his eyes pleading her to calm down, but he also felt her sorrow - he knew that if he was cooped up like this for weeks, he, too, would be desperate to simply go outside for a walk, even a short one.

Anna was not please by this reply, and she glared at her husband in frustration. "Why is it dangerous?" She demanded, her voice raising in pitch, "I think that I'm more likely to do _myself_ harm being cooped up in here for much longer!"

Kristoff looked unconvinced, but a little nervous too, something his increasingly stressed wife picked up on easily. "Oh, what? You don't believe me?" She snapped, and then glanced around, picking up the closest thing - a hairbrush - and began to prod her stomach with the end of it, making herself wince and her husband panic a little, but he didn't do much more. Anna huffed, and banged her head against the wall once, twice, three times, until little dots appeared in her vision, and the world spun a little; thankfully, it had gotten her point across, and Kristoff sighed, before reluctantly agreeing to let her go for a short walk outside.

With a squeal of delight, the Princess shot up and out of bed straight away - to the panic of her husband, who quickly rushed over to remind her to at least take it easy - and scurried to her wardrobe to find some other clothes than the nightgown she was currently wearing. Finding a loose fitting dress with difficulty, her stomach proving a problem considering it was now much too large for any of her normal clothes (even her old maternity clothes from Mia had been too tight), she grinned and headed to the door happily, waiting almost-patiently for her husband to catch up.

Eventually, however, she began to get frustrated at her husband's dawdling, at least in her opinion, as she moaned loudly, "Oh, come on, come on!" She pouted grumpily as she let out a small huff of indignation, as she patted her foot once, twice, three times upon the ground grumpily, having grown tired of waiting for him.

She knew what he was doing, of course; by being idle in his walking, he was forcing her to go slower, stopping all the time to let him catch up with her, thus hindering the speed she could travel at. There was no way she'd be allowed out of her room _without_ him there, or at least another person to accompany her - but of course, as luck would have it, no one else seemed to be about at present - as the Doctor had, once again, decided that she had to remain in her room until the baby was born, for her own safety. She needed to "rest and conserve her energy", as he had put it, and not exert herself physically, for any tiny amount of strain could hurt her or the baby.

_Bah! What a ridiculous concept_, she thought to herself angrily, her hands clenching in fists slightly at the Doctor's orders. He had said that her pregnancy was of 'higher risk' than most women, and that she needed to rest and make sure she wouldn't hurt herself or the baby, but she knew better; royal pregnancies were always dealt with very seriously, and as such, everyone was incredibly scrupulous and over-protective of her.

She groaned into her hands at the thought, as her husband finally caught up to her, and he frowned, tilting his wife's face up so that she was looking into his eyes directly.

"Hey, hey," He said, his voice laced with concern, "What's wrong, Fiesty-pants? Where's that crazy Princess of mine gone, hmm?" He looked around for show, as if her were searching for her. "I'm sure she was here just a second ago."

Anna, now feeling utterly saddened, sighed, although the tiniest of smiles, barely visible but just about there, graced her lips. "I don't want to be a Princess," She admitted, as she hung her head again, and Kristoff frowned at her curiously, wondering whatever could have made her feel so upset so suddenly. "I just want to be a normal person, like you were before the whole winter fiasco. I don't want all this ridiculous fuss about staying in the room... It's just because I'm royalty that anyone cares!"

Kristoff took her hand gently. "Hey, hey, I care about you, because I'm crazy enough to love you," He reassured, and Anna smiled a little again. "As do Elsa and Odd, and Mia; even if she doesn't show it as much as others, you can't deny she loves you."

Anna shook her head slowly, sighing. "That's not what I mean. I - " She paused slightly, thinking of what to say. "It's just that everyone is so protective of me and this baby, just because I'm royalty. If I was just a normal person down in the village, I wouldn't have to stay cooped up inside all day!"

"It's for your safety, Anna," Kristoff said, "You know what the Doctor said-"

Anna huffed, glaring at him. "Yes, he as good as said that I was weak! I'm not frail, and you know it!" She said, her voice rising in anger, and Kristoff looked worriedly at her, knowing how stress could affect her.

"No, you're not frail." He agreed, nodding, "But I don't think the Doctor's saying you have to stay on bed rest just because he's got a grudge against you. I'm sure you remember what happened with Mia- you go out for one day, and suddenly you're in labour, hmm?"

Anna frowned. "That was because I was scared - we were being chased, and you know how stress can sometimes trigger it! The Doctor said so himself."

Kristoff sighed. "Fine, fine, but I still agree with him. I just don't want you to get hurt."

Anna's eyes softened a little at the comment. "I know, I know..." She muttered, feeling saddened. "I think I'll just go back to the room. I'm not really in the mood for a walk anymore."

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on!" He said loudly, "You were all but blackmailing me to let you outside earlier!" He paused at Anna's sharp glare, and thought for a second. "Come on. It'll do you good, the fresh air - even I can't deny that, and if we take a stroll down to the market, we could always get an ice cream?"

The promise of sugar was enough for Anna, and she began to smile again. "Oh, fine." She said, and hurried after him happily. "Let's take Mia, too - I'm sure she'd enjoy the treat."

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><p>Anna laughed gleefully as she returned to the castle an hour later, one hand holding her daughter's soft fingers gently, the other grasping a chocolate ice-cream which was pure heaven. Mia, too, was carrying her own vanilla flavoured treat, happily licking away as she toddled along. Beside them, Kristoff was having a heated discussion with Sven about how carrots would beat ice cream any day.<p>

It was as the group were entering the great hall, Sven still following behind despite the frustrated frowns of the watching maids, who had recently polished the floor, that Anna began to feel that something was off. She winced at a slight stinging sensation in her abdomen, but shook it off, thinking nothing of it until she collapsed onto the floor as a wave of pain overtook her. She moaned deeply in the back of her throat, and Kristoff's eyes widened in shock and panic as he scooped her up.

"Mia," He said loudly, frightening the poor child who backed up, scared she was in trouble, but he didn't have time to stop. "Go and get the doctor, please, Mia!" He instructed, as he ran off with Anna in his arms. Mia whimpered in fear as she watched him go, feeling as if she'd done something wrong to make her father raise his voice at her, and she did the only thing she could think of; she hid.

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><p>Anna groaned as her husband lay her down on the bed, and she gasped as she felt a small popping sensation in her abdomen, and a trickle of water ran down her legs. She whimpered slightly as Kristoff held her hand tightly, brushing her fringe away from her face gently as he watched her with fear in his eyes.<p>

_Where is the doctor? _He thought in frustration; it hurt his heart to see his wife laying there in pain. This wasn't right - it was much too early for Anna to be having the child yet, she was only thirty two, maybe thirty three weeks along, and should be pregnant for at least a month or two more!

A shock contraction made Anna cry out in pain, and Kristoff began to curse the Doctor's laziness in his mind, although on the outside, he tried to remain calm, if only to help his wife feel a little more soothed.

A few seconds later, perhaps half a minute - though to Anna, trapped in the steely grips of pain, it felt like eons - the door burst open to reveal Elsa standing there, looking upon the scene before her with wide eyes. Freddie squirmed in her arms uncomfortably, looking frightened by the sharp atmosphere of the room which suggested suffering and sorrow, and his mother had to hold onto him tighter so as not to drop him. When Odd rounded the corner a second later, he was more than happy to relieve her of the child, knowing that while Anna would probably not object, he wasn't needed in the room. She had her husband and sister with her until the Doctor arrived, after all.

"What's going on?" Elsa cried as she rushed over, sitting next to Anna on the other side of the bed. "You're not due for weeks yet!"

Anna groaned in pain, as she shrugged her elbows slightly. After a few moments, the contraction passed, and she looked at her sister desperately. "I don't know..." She whispered, terrified. Maybe she shouldn't have gone out after all.

Elsa looked around, concerned, and then ran over to the desk nearby, picking up a pen and scribbling a quick note. Closing her eyes, she waved her hand, a beam of ice forming into an icy pigeon, and she gave the letter to the bird.

"Take this to the Doctor," She instructed quickly, and the bird let out a small coo as it sped out of the open door. Rushing back over to her sister, she smiled gently, and Anna tried to return the gesture, but another contraction decided to grace her body instead. Groaning, she squeezed Kristoff's hand tightly and, though his face turned red and he gritted his teeth, to his credit, he said nothing, not a single complaint.

Eventually, the Doctor arrived, rewarded with a cold glare from his Queen for taking so long, but he simply pretended to not see this, instead focusing on the Princess, as he began to get to work. A midwife hurried in soon after, looking as if she'd just run a long distance.

"Prince Kristoff," The Doctor said respectfully, "I'd suggest that you go now. I understand that you have... assisted in your wife's birthing before, but there is no need for you here now."

The stunned man opened his mouth to complain, but it was Elsa who spoke first. "It's okay, Kristoff," She assured, as she spared a glance at her sister, who was currently free from pain's grips, for just a slight moment, "I'll be here."

Anna nodded slightly, though she looked slightly reluctant to allow him to go. "I want you here Kris," She said honestly, but she paused as she gripped the bedsheets, another contraction wracking her poor body. Her husband rushed back now, and no one said anything until it was over.

"Please, Kris," She said, her voice shaking with terror and pain, but she tried to give a reassuring smile, "Go and find Mia. She needs you more; she doesn't know what is going on, and I don't want you to see this again..."

Kristoff looked reluctant, but Anna's expression turned pleading, as she fought with her own desire to have him stay with her. "Mia needs you, Kristoff. You need to explain to her what's going on. I'll be okay, I promise."

Seeing that he was still looking unconvinced, Anna tried another approach, and she talked quickly in case another contraction came on. "Look, how about you come back later? It's just early stages now, go and make sure Mia's okay. You can come back later if you really want to see this..."

Kristoff didn't look pleased at having to leave his wife during her time of need, but he finally sighed in resignation. "Okay, I'll come back when you're ready to..." He trailed off, and backed towards the door. With one last desperate look at her, he sighed and left. The cry of pain that followed afterwards tore through his soul, ripping his heart in two, but her words resounded in his mind.

_Go and find Mia. She needs you more._

He sighed, and left to find his daughter; though it took him a while, he eventually succeeded, locating the young Princess hiding behind a statue of a phoenix.

"Mia?" He asked softly, and she whimpered as she scurried backwards, drawing her knees up to her chest, shaking slightly as she watched her father with large, very alert and suspicious eyes, which had no place on such a young girl's face. No child should have seen such horrors, should have been scarred as she had.

"I'm sorry I shouted earlier," He whispered, reaching out to stroke her hair, but missing as she dodged his touch. "I was just scared."

Something clicked in Mia's mind, and she relaxed suddenly; she could understand fear, could associate with it. She watched her father as he sat down, and though she didn't move towards him, she didn't back off either.

"You saw I was carrying Mama, yes?" He asked, and Mia nodded stiffly. Deciding that she wasn't going to run off, he continued. "Well, you know she is going to have a baby?" Again, a nod. "Well, the baby is coming now. You will have a little brother or sister very soon."

Though her face betrayed no emotion, Kristoff could sense his daughter's excitement when she scooted just a tiny bit closer to him. "Can we go see Mama?" She asked inquisitively, and her Father frowned.

"I'm afraid not, Mi. Mama is... " He tried to think of a way to put it, without scaring Mia again. Any mention of pain could easily make old memories resurface, and she'd be trapped in a nightmare again. "Mama is tired." He finished simply. No doubt it was true, and he was kicking himself for not being there for her, but his daughter needed him too.

Mia looked at him with large eyes. "Poor Mama." She said, though she didn't really understand what was happening to her Mother. "Can we go wait outside? Wait to see baby?"

Kristoff shook his head. "It'll be a few hours yet, Mi. Why don't we go and find Uncle Odd and Freddie instead, hmm?"

Mia nodded reluctantly, as she got up and headed to Elsa's room, where the two members of her family, who weren't with Anna, were likely to be found. She hurried through the corridors happily, but froze when she rushed past her parents' room, hearing her Mother's scream of pain, and her face turned white, as haunting memories swam into her mind.

_A sharp boot connected with her side, and the small girl was sent hurtling to the floor. Though she had only been crawling before, too weak to do much else, she hit the ground with a loud thud, her increasingly brittle, calcium deprived bones shuddering from the impact, and she cried out in pain, her scream high pitched, capable of slicing through the hearts of any person capable of compassion._

She gasped at the memory, as more and more plagued her mind, even after her Mother's pained cries had died out.

_Another scream cut through the still, cold air inside her cave prison, as a whip slashed across the skin of her back, the red stain spreading quickly across her soft back like a swarm of angry ants, burning, not stopping. _

Panting, she didn't hear her father coming up behind her.

_"So, you're the little Princess," He said, his voice devilishly sharp, as he walked over, and slashed the poor girl, who cried out in pain, once again. "This will be fun."_

Kristoff knew immediately what was wrong, as he ushered his daughter away from the room in which Anna was currently, his own heart aching for her, his legs trying to lead him to her. It was only her words that kept him going forward, to protect Mia from her Mother's cries.

* * *

><p>Mia whimpered as she cuddled into her Uncle, who was sat outside Anna and Kristoff's room, where loud moans and cries could be heard from within. He softly stroked her hair, trying to soothe her, but it did little to help her nerves.<p>

Eventually, the door opened, and Elsa stood in the frame, smiling happily, although there was a slight note of concern shining in her eyes. Still, though, she looked incredibly relieved and filled with joy.

Bending down to Mia's level, she grinned. "So, Mia, do you want to come and meet your new siblings?"

Odd frowned at the plural and grinned, but they young girl did not query it, which was hardly surprising, after all. She followed her aunt eagerly, excited to see her new brother or sister, although as she began to step through the door, she froze, the metallic smell of blood reaching her nose, and she could feel fear on the air, making her limbs freeze up, immobilising her. Her breathing increased, as her heart thudded in her chest, threatening to break out.

Odd bent down to Mia's height and placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling encouragingly at her; he understood her fear, for he had grown up in constant terror since he was a child. Abused until the age of eleven, and alone in the cruel, merciless world after that. Indeed, he was no stranger to alarm and unease, and though it didn't affect him as much, for he understood what had happened in the room, he could still pick up on the same things as Mia could; the sharp smell of blood, the sharp, alarming sense of the fear and pain in the room. Old habits die hard, and after growing up in the harsh wilderness of the Norwegian forests for nearly fifteen years, Odd's instincts were still alert, still very sensitive to possible danger.

He'd never have survived if he didn't know when to run from a threat.

"It's okay, Mia," He said, as he picked her up, handing Freddie to his mother who took him happily, tickling under his chin as she cooed softly. Odd kept his focus on his niece, grinning at her gently. "Come on, it's okay in there. Here, i'll stay with you."

Though still skeptical, Mia nodded her head slowly, as she buried her face into her Uncle's chest, his steady heartbeat reassuring her, calming her down as she entered the room where her mother was now resting, still breathing heavily after her long ordeal. Kristoff was by her side, having returned the minute she'd allowed him back in, to help her with the final stages of the birth, and he now sat stiffly next to her on the bed, one hand smoothing hair from her face, while the other was pre-occupied with holding a small, sleeping bundle, wrapped in a blue blanket. A similar one was resting upon Anna's chest, but in pink.

Looking up wearily, the Princess smiled tiredly as she watched her daughter being brought over, although Odd didn't miss her repetitive glances towards her en-suite bathroom, where it sounded like the doctor and midwife were talking in loud, panicked voices which he could just hear, and he instantly assumed the worst, but didn't say anything.

Mia looked at the bundle on her Mother's lap with large eyes, and then she glanced at the baby boy in her Father's grip. Struggling, Odd let her get down, and she scampered over to the bed, climbing up and peeking. She backed up nervously when Anna reached forward slowly, but calmed when she noticed that she was just pulling back the blanket, revealing the sleeping newborn. She had a tiny tuft of her Mother's strawberry blonde hair which poked out from under the material, and she also had her face shape as well. However, her eyes were coloured a light brown, though they were hidden from view as she slept, and she had also inherited their rounded shape from her Father, instead of Anna's, which had gone to Mia.

Climbing across her Mother's stomach, avoiding the baby but not noticing her wincing, she looked over at her father and waited expectantly for him to show her the boy, while Odd also got a look at the new baby girl. Kristoff chuckled as he revealed the child in his arms, who had now awoken, and was looking around in a dazed state, wondering what he was doing out here, thankfully not crying yet.

The boy had his Father's face shape, and his round nose, too, as well as the large brown eyes which he shared with his twin. He had a little blonde hair on his head, and upon his nose, there were a few light freckles dotted randomly.

"What is his name?" Mia asked inquisitively, as she reached out to touch her new brother's cheek, and upon feeling the smooth skin, jumped back, scared to hurt him.

"Thomas," Anna whispered tiredly, "Prince Thomas, no middle name. Just Thomas."

Mia giggled happily. "Do I have middle name, Mama?" She asked, and Anna shook her head.

"No, you're just Mia, but you're my special little girl." She smiled, and her daughter blushed lightly, grinning back.

"What is girl's name?" She asked interestedly, and Anna's eyes widened as she looked over to her en-suite door, confirming Odd's suspicions that something had happened. She thought for a moment, clearing not deciding on a name for her yet, and she looked to her husband for help.

"I like Kari?" He suggested, and Anna thought about it for a moment, although her decision was made for her as Mia nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She cried, "Kari, baby Kari!"

Anna laughed, although her daughter's voice was loud and hurt her ears, and also made the two youngest in the room begin to wail. They were smaller than a normal new-born, but multiples always tended to be that way. Anna frowned as Kristoff handed Thomas to her, and she pulled her nightdress down - which she had changed into at the start of her labour - to reveal her breasts under the duvet, and she held the twins to them, one each, to calm them down. She sighed as she looked over to the door to the en-suite, her eyes large, filled with longing, shining with desperate hope.

Kristoff noticed this, and stood up. Placing a kiss on her forehead, he murmured quietly to her, "Well done Fiesty-pants," and then reached out for his eldest daughter, picking her up with ease.

"Come on, you," He said, and though his voice wasn't quite as light-hearted as it should have been, he tried to cover it up, "Let's go and get you some dinner, hmm?" Mia nodded happily, and then he turned to everyone else. "If I get the maids to bring dinner up here, does anyone have any requests?"

Anna shook her head sadly, as she looked down, suddenly feeling extremely depressed and fearful. Elsa murmured a quiet reply, and Odd offered to accompany him to the kitchens, but the oldest Princess didn't hear anything, except the thudding of her own heart, and the voices in the other room. She couldn't make out what they were saying, just that they were talking quite rapidly.

That couldn't be a good sign.

* * *

><p>Kristoff had already returned with food, and taken Mia to bed, by the time the doctor finally came out of the en-suite, a small bundle in his arms, and the whole group grew quiet as they waited for news. Thomas and Kari were already asleep in a large ice crib made by Elsa, for the one which had been ordered hadn't been finished yet, and as such, the final child, a little girl who made the twins into triplets.<p>

Anna looked down at the baby and felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked at her final daughter, still in shock that she was even alive. She was so tiny, so very, very tiny, even for a triplet, barely ten inches from head to toe, and weighing an impossible two pounds and five ounces. In comparison to her, Thomas and Kari, both four pounds and seven ounces (a good weight for triplets) were ginormous, but that wasn't what worried Anna the most. It was the youngest's pale skin, her blue lips which had only the slightest twinge of pink in them, and her irregular, tiny breaths.

She was so frail, so very delicate. Too delicate for safety.

The Doctor looked at her sympathetically. "There's not much we can do, Princess Anna," He said softly, and she looked up at him with large eyes, filled with tears. "We managed to get her breathing, but I have suspicions that her vital organs are underdeveloped. Her lungs are weak, as is her heart, and I fear that she will be susceptible to illnesses."

Anna's eyes widened as she tightened her grip protectively on her fragile daughter, and looked at the Doctor pleadingly, as if he could change the situation incredibly. "I swear to do my best to help her get well, but the truth is, your highness, I don't see her chances as favourable. She'll always be weak, even if she does survive. And... this might seem harsh, but I would suggest you do not name her, at least not until her second or third month. That way, if... if anything were to happen, then it wouldn't hurt so much."

Anna frowned defiantly. "No, I will name her." She snapped, and though her head was swimming from fatigue, she continued, looking down at the baby in her arms. She had freckles across her face, and Anna's heart melted even more when she noticed how similar she was to herself. "I'll name her Dawn - that way, she'll be like the sun. She won't set - she'll only rise."

Elsa smiled slightly, despite the situation, as she remembered saying the exact same thing after she'd run away during her coronation.

_And I'll rise like the break of dawn..._

Things had turned out well for her, in the end. She could only hope things ended up okay for little Dawn, as well.

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><p><strong>Okay, I'm a little annoyed that I didn't manage to get this up yesterday, but...<strong>

**HAPPY ONE YEAR AND A DAY ANNIVERSARY. **

**Haha, anyway this was a super long chapter, so I'm excused, I guess. This story's gone on for a lot longer than I had originally planned, but I hope you guys have enjoyed it. There will be one more very short chapter, and then we'll be onto Frozen Powers three. What a nice thought, but it will be the last book in the trilogy... that's a strange thought. I've gotten used to this series now, it's become a part of my life.**

**Anyway, I was quite upset last chapter - I only got four reviews, which made me feel sad. Normally I get more, and though I love writing, it's hard to think of plots without your help, whether it's just a comment on the chapter or a ****suggestion. Remember, I'm quite happy for critique (but no trolling please, seriously). After all, critique helps me to improve.**

**See you soon, and please review! I don't like to beg / demand, but I don't like being taken advantage of either, and that's what it feels like sometimes.**

**-SG**


	13. Chapter 9 - dedicated to KLime (guest)

_**Anna frowned defiantly. "No, I will name her." She snapped, and though her head was swimming from fatigue, she continued, looking down at the baby in her arms. She had freckles across her face, and Anna's heart melted even more when she noticed how similar she was to herself. "I'll name her Dawn - that way, she'll be like the sun. She won't set - she'll only rise."**_

_**Elsa smiled slightly, despite the situation, as she remembered saying the exact same thing after she'd run away during her coronation.**_

_**And I'll rise like the break of dawn...**_

_**Things had turned out well for her, in the end. She could only hope things ended up okay for little Dawn, as well.**_

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><p><em>September 9th<em>

Ayla groaned as she jumped awake, her head pounding and her bright blue eyes aching as they adapted to the bright light which she'd not been expecting. Her dream was still replaying over and over in her mind, and her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

Standing up quickly, she rushed to the door, opening it quickly and hurrying out into the cold depths of the corridors, using her magic to warm her body as the chilling air battered her skin. Knocking loudly on Hans' door, she burst in hastily, not bothering to wait for him to recognise her presence, and he glared at her as he slowly awoke.

"Did no one teach you that it was rude to just barge in?" He snapped, as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, yawning slightly. Ayla glared at him, crossing her arms in frustration.

"I just awoke from a dream, but something feels off," She explained. "My magic feels as if it is active, as if it has been used a lot when I know for sure it has not, in fact. I fear my dream may have been a warning, a premonition, if you will."

Hans scoffed, looking annoyed that she would have the cheek to wake him up over something so ridiculous. "Mmhmm," He said, his tone sarcastic as he raised his eyebrows at her mockingly, although through the dim light of the room, she missed this gesture. "A warning? And what makes you so sure?"

Ayla didn't miss the derisiveness which was laced into his cold voice, and she was affronted by his lack of faith in her. Her eyes turning cold, she scowled at him through the murky darkness of the room, her steely bright blue eyes cutting through the black and straight into Hans' impenetrable soul, almost making him wince at the severeness of her gaze. She felt slightly smug when she noticed how he seemed to stiffen a bit, glad to have gotten a reaction from him, and folded her arms as she stood a little taller, looking pleased with herself.

"I am sure," She said, "Because like I said before, my magic feels as if I've been using it, when I haven't, aside from a simple heating charm. During the dream, I was completely aware of what was going on, not to mention how real everything seemed - flashbacks of the past, as well as more recent events. I'm sure you heard that the Princess of Arendelle has had triplets, just over a month ago?"

Hans snarled in the back of his throat at the mention of the specific young Princess. She'd ruined his plans to take over, had made a fool of him at the same time. And here she was, happy, his plans for her ruined, a second time. But when the kingdom was strong again, then they wouldn't be defeated so easily.

He would take over Arendelle, and from there, he would expand. He would make the Southern Isles into a major power again, as they had once been in the past, long ago; maybe he couldn't be king of his own country, for he was not the heir, and after the events during the "everlasting winter", no sane Queen or Princess would ever take him as their husband. Only his own kingdom saw him as a decent man - not that he was, and he knew it - because they sympathised with his 'need for for revenge' for the death of his brother, Bjørn, in Arendelle, and this fury was strengthened after Elsa's fleet attacked them. But that was all he needed now; he may not be King, but he undeniably had the most influence over the people, even his own brothers, in a turn of events from his childhood. Perhaps it was partly to do with Ayla's influence, her magic undoubtedly having some say in the conversion of the people in favour of his plans, but he wouldn't complain.

"Yes, I heard of it," Hans said through gritted teeth, his nails, digging into his skin as he clenched his hands, drawing droplets of blood, thick and red, beading on his palm in an intricate pattern of sharp pain. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Ayla grinned, knowing somehow that what she'd seen in her 'dream' really had been the truth, and she felt powerful, having knowledge of what was to come. "I saw the moment the babies were born, and it was just too realistic to not be true. I can describe each little brat for you, if it would help convince you?" Through the dim light of the room, she could see Hans' face grimace, looking sickened, and she sighed at him in frustration, comprehending what he was affected by. "No, Princey-boy, I wasn't watching the birth, I was just _there_, thank you. I've had plenty enough of that to last a lifetime, so if you want any more heirs, if one wasn't enough, you'd better get yourself another woman to play with."

Hans chuckled, as if the idea was absurd. "I'm fine with one, good Lord. Seth's annoying enough now, let alone when he grows up."

Ayla smiled. "Good. I did have fears that he would've made you weaker, more compassionate - thank the Lord he hasn't."

"Not in the slightest," He agreed, but then frowned again. "I still think you're being ridiculous about this whole 'premonition' thing though. If you can't do a spell to see the future, then how can you see the future in your dreams, hmm?"

A simple shrug, as Ayla finally grew bored of standing up, and came to sit on the edge of the Prince's bed. To most, such an act would have been suicidal, at least without open invitation, but even if he wanted to, Hans had no power over the woman before him to stop her. It wasn't easy to beat magic without it oneself.

"Well, then, here's an idea," He suggested, "Can't you do a spell to find out the truth? That can't be hard, can it?"

Ayla frowned for a second, and then nodded, feeling confident. "I reckon I can do that - I'll give it a go." Pausing, she closed her eyes in concentration, trying to work out how to do the spell, and then her eyes widened, her pupils constricting as the whites of her eyes brightened. Her slim, finely crafted hands began to glow a faint amber colour, and then began to rapidly turn a shocking emerald green. A few seconds passed, and just before the glow consumed the entire room in a haze of colour, Ayla fell to the floor, her eyes returning to normal as she coughed a few times, her breathing heavy as she blinked a few times.

Hans, meanwhile, watched in amazement, figuring that the green colour was suggesting that the sorceress genuinely had experienced a premonition. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unsure of what to say next. Ayla just grinned at him triumphantly.

"See?" She said, and Hans sighed in defeat. He waited expectantly for her to explain what had happened in her premonition, and she did not disappoint. "First, bear in mind that the images I saw for the future were hard to make out, blurry even, so they weren't much help. However, in my head, I could hear a few words, like a very basic commentary, which helped me to piece things together."

Ayla paused for a second, and in that moment, a young baby's wails rang out through the corridors; groaning at her young son, she used her magic to sound-proof the walls, and began to talk again. "Anyway, I think I've worked out what it meant, but it's not good I'm afraid. I do believe that, in some way or another, Princess Anna's smallest child, a girl named Dawn - a stupid name, if you ask me - will be the cause of either great sadness, or possibly the defeat of our forces. I'm more inclined towards the first, because frankly, I don't see how she could defeat us - she's very small and weak, you see."

Ayla grinned, her blue eyes flashing, but Hans didn't pick up on her happiness. He frowned at her, his arms folded. "I'm not seeing how our possible defeat is pleasing to you," He snapped, his voice as cold as his heart. He felt his fists clench again as he watched Ayla continue to smile at him, until she replied.

"Don't you see? We just have to get the little brat out of the way," She explained smiling, "And then we'll be free to do as we please without her around to interfere. Not to mention, it'll make Arendelle remember that even without our influence, or so they believe, they are still not safe."

Hans frowned. "But your magic can't kill anyone," He pointed out, and Ayla smiled at him.

"Oh, I know, I know," She replied, but something in her tone said that she wasn't concerned. "Nor can I make anyone ill with my magic, not directly. But," She paused, grinning, "I can make disease - as in, I can make bacteria. Princess Anna's youngest child is a weak thing, as I said before. A couple of bacteria in her room - she'd be sick in an instant, and her immune sytem would be too undeveloped to fight back."

Hans nodded in understanding, his own face breaking into a grin. "That's a good plan, Ayla, but you'd have to be within a close range to do it, meaning you'd have to leave the Kingdom, and then your magic would stop working, you said so yourself. We'd be on the map again, at least until you returned."

Ayla shrugged. "That's just a risk we'll have to take." She said, and then grinned. "You know, it's great to have magic."

Hans frowned in frustration. "I bet it is," He snapped out quietly, but didn't say anything more on the subject. "Go now, before the kingdom awakes."

Ayla nodded, and closed her eyes in concentration. A second passed, and then she was gone with a pop. Hans grinned.

_At least now we'll be unstoppable. _He thought to himself, although something deep down in his heart ached slightly. Recognising it as an instant threat, he crushed the feeling in one go.

He was not weak, and he would not be stopped. If that meant destroying every person in his path, even his own son, then so be it.

* * *

><p>Elsa frowned as she looked at the world map, trying to work out what had happened to the Southern Isles. Such an occurrence had never happened in the history of the world, and it couldn't be anything good.<p>

She glanced down at the area where the Southern Isles used to be, and gasped when she saw the kingdom fade in in-front of her eyes. She blinked, and rubbed her eyes, and it was still there; excitedly, she rose quickly, and began to head over to the door, looking for Anna - as she couldn't bring herself to wake Odd, who'd been working so hard all day, and was exhausted - when she noticed that the kingdom had once again disappeared off of the map. Returning to the bed, she placed her head in her hands in confusion, when she heard the loud wail of a young baby in distress.

It wasn't Freddie, who was sleeping soundly in his crib, and though it was loud, it was also a weak cry, which left only one child.

Dawn.

* * *

><p><em>September 12th<em>

The tears rolled down Anna's cheeks as she buried her head in Kristoff's chest, her body wracked with agonised sobs as she latched onto his shirt for support. Mia was cradled in her arms, trapped in between the two grieving parents, and she wept for her lost sister, not understanding exactly what had happened, but knowing now that she was gone forever. She'd seen her unresponsive, pale body, even whiter than her own skin, and knew the tiny girl she loved was no longer there.

In response to his wife and eldest daughter's sorrows, Kristoff wrapped his strong arms around them, pulling them close as he hung his head in deep sorrow, his grief pulling him into an unreachable place, his mind numb, all sound drowned out. The tears no longer came, though he felt that they should, wished they would, if only to make him feel less cruel; as it was, he felt as if he wasn't giving Dawn the respect or the love that he should.

Looking up slightly as he rubbed his hand up and down over Anna's back soothingly, he sneaked a glance at Elsa and Odd, who were both standing on the other side of the grave, looking solemn; he could see tears shimmering in the Queen's eyes, and her husband, though not crying, was looking pale, his hands shaking very slightly, and by the ghostly look which clouded his eyes, he was undoubtedly reminded of his own sister's brutal death; murder, by an imposter posing to be himself.

He could only imagine the confusion poor Heidi must have felt that day, and the sense of betrayal. She'd lost half of her family by then - her baby killed not too long before, and she must have felt abandoned by the man she thought was her older brother - and it sickened him to think of how horrific her last moments had been. At least young Dawn, ever the fighter, had had her family with her as she passed, loving and tender, but Heidi... she had no one.

Looking away from his sister-in-law and her husband, a tiny coffin caught Kristoff's eye and he watched, regretting it instantly as reality hit him, a tidal wave of grief. The small wooden box was painted a soft pink, with dainty purple flowers decorated around the edge. The top was designed with a carefully painted image of a rising sun, but despite it's beauty, it only made the atmosphere worse, for it reminded all present of the day of the triplets' birth - no, the twins' birth now - when Anna had said that Dawn would never set.

And the fact that there was a sunrise on the miniature coffin only emphasised how wrong she had been that day.

For Dawn had set. She'd fought hard, but in the end, bronchiolitis took her as a victim, her weak immune system unable to fight, and her feeble lungs unable to draw in breaths as the disease attacked her bronchioles and made breathing even harder, her already-feeble lungs simply not strong enough to cope. Soon after the illness had developed, just a few agonizing days, Dawn had succumbed to the sickness.

Most children would have survived, and that fact alone

Kristoff watched with large eyes as his youngest daughter was slowly lowered into the earth, and at last, the tears began to fall again, and he felt a little less heartless that he hadn't been able to summon them earlier. He held Anna's hand tightly as she snuggled up to him, a sobbing Mia refusing to watch as her baby sister was buried. She didn't like the idea of her being trapped under the earth, all alone, and then a thought struck her.

Through her tears, Mia let her magic flare up; remembering how her aunt had made a flurry for Olaf so that he wouldn't melt, she summoned a similar one inside the coffin, so that the baby's body was soon covered in snow.

Mia felt a little happier, although the tears still continued to fall; at least her sister would have a reminder of her when she went to heaven.

That night, no one - except for the twins and Freddie - slept well, everyone's minds occupied by thoughts of the baby Princess. Anna's dreams were plagued with the face of her dead daughter, rotted away over time, and she awoke more than once shaking and sweating, tears streaming down her face. Kristoff hardly fared any better, his thoughts constantly occupied with one sole thought.

_I failed her. I let Death take her away, just like Mia was taken away too. I failed as their Father._

And that night, as Elsa lay in bed with Odd, her mind was working overtime, trying to process the information she'd been given earlier that day, by Grand Pabbie.

_Her sickness was not natural. Her body is infused with the mark of cruel powers; be aware, Queen Elsa, for Dawn's death is not all it seems._

She frowned as she lay with her husband, his arms holding her in a warm embrace, and she sighed, when a thought hit her; the appearance of the Southern Isles on the map, earlier that day.

Ayla.

She snarled in the back of her throat, and Odd pushed back to look at her questioningly. He smoothed her platinum-blonde hair back from her face, but as he revealed the large, anger-filled eyes, he didn't flinch.

"Never again." She snarled. "Never again will those monsters threaten my family, nor my Kingdom." With that, she breathed deeply a few times, freezing the window simply to let out her anger, and then thawed it again, feeling slightly less stressed.

Though Odd didn't understand, he realised that Elsa must have had knowledge which he did not. Smiling at her a little, his own thoughts still plagued, he gave her a quick kiss upon her forehead, and tried to push her down.

"Go to sleep, Elsa." He whispered, and in response, she sighed, nodding. Cuddling her closer, she tried let her body relax against his as she let out a breath of frustration, and closed her eyes. She breathed in the scent of her husband, a deep, earthy smell which she savoured, and it calmed her stiff limbs, settled her mind. She closed her eyes slowly, tears lingering now, but she didn't cry; though her dreams that night were filled with sorrows, the scene of Dawn being lowered into the earth occurring in every other scene, when she awoke breathing heavily and shaking, Odd was always there, murmuring in a quiet voice to her until she drifted off once again.

And all the while, in the same field as her grandparents were resting, little Dawn lay, unknowing, with a small marked grave stone, intricately decorated - more so than that of the deceased King and Queen who were buried near her - with carved flowers and in the bottom-most corner, a large engraving of a rising sun. In the center of the headstone, a few small words were written in an elegant, curvy style.

_Her Royal Highness _

_Princess Dawn of Arendelle_

_August 6th 1842 - September 11th 1842 (Aged 1 month, 5 days)  
><em>

_Even the darkest, coldest night shall be defeated by the consistent sunrise which comes with the dawn._

_Rest in peace_

* * *

><p><strong>And that's it - the end of this 'middle-way book'. <strong>

**First, I'm sure I'm going to get bombarded by reviews complaining about Dawn's death, but it was necessary; I'm sorry, please don't kill me... She'd only have suffered anyway, it was better now than later on when she was older and had more pressure on her weak heart and lungs and her fragile body. Right?**

**Anywa, I got a few more reviews last chapter, so thank you, and I'd especially love reviews on this one, as it's the last chapter. So please, keep an eye out for Frozen Powers 3, and I'll see you then!**

**-SG**

**(P.S. Any name ideas for the last 'book' are greatly appreciated!)**


	14. Frozen Powers III

**Frozen Powers III is now up - look at my profile to find it, and I'll see you there!**

**-SG**


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